A Winter Love
by Nemoralis C Porter
Summary: Shirou gets a visit from an old friend whom he hadn't seen in years. It will make him think over all they had gone through and just how happy Mephisto made him.
1. Chapter 1

It was like any other December at the monastery. The month started out chilly with snow that fell from grey skies, and children ran through the streets, the excited shouts of children could be heard on every corner. With each passing day it became colder and Shirou had to start dressing the boys warmer. It was a lazy Friday afternoon; Rin and Yukio were playing outside as usual, just chasing each other around and playing games. Shirou watched from the front porch of the church and a smile graced up his face. Snow had been falling throughout the day but it was then that heavy flakes started their descent upon the earth in swirls. The two boys stopped what they were doing and looked to the sky, the flakes landed thickly upon their hair and lashes.

"Daddy, daddy, daddy! Look daddy! Look at the snow!" His blue eyes shined brightly as he tried to catch the snow with his tongue and his hands. Yukio was jumping up and down, his glasses fogged up from his laughter. Shirou couldn't help but chuckle at their enthusiasm.

"I see, I see!" He wrapped his scarf tighter around his neck before stepping off the porch and into the snow. Both Rin and Yukio rushed over to him to so they could pull him further out into the courtyard.

"Father, help us make a snow men," Yukio asked with a smile. The snow was already piling up around them and the two little ones were using their entire bodies to roll the snowballs into place. When they struggled to get the second lump of snow on top of the first the twins banded together to create a ramp to roll it upward. Once the third snow ball was rolled out Shirou placed it upon the top.

"Now we have to decorate it eh?" He took off the grey scarf and gently wrapped it around the snow man's neck. They gathered an assortment of stones and sticks that would make up its face and arms. After a good hour of packing snow together to create a fort around the snowman the cold had suck into their fingers and toes so they retreated inside their home. Off came the gloves, scarves, boots, and jackets as little feet pounded into the warmth of the kitchen. Shirou quickly gathered their garments and threw them on low heat in the dryer so that they would be ready for their next adventure outside. Shirou entered the kitchen to find Rin and Yukio huddled near the stove. He bustled about the kitchen as he gathered up the supplies for hot cocoa. While the water heated on the stove he grabbed a towel and rubbed down both boys.

"Oi you know what all this snow means, boys?" Shirou asked. When they looked up at him in confusion he continued with a grin. "It means it's time to start putting up the Christmas tree and decorations. And right before Christmas it'll be your eleventh birthday." His grin grew larger as both Rin and Yukios' smiles and eyes grew large with excitement. They both clapped their hands and cheered in excitement. Shirou went back to the stove where he readied the hot chocolate.

"You're growing up to be big boys! Pretty soon ya gonna be old like me!" he declared with a loud snort of laughter. Rin and Yukio shouted in protest as Shirou finished making the hot chocolate and then poured it into three different mugs.

"But no worries that won't for a long while but be careful there ya gotta blow on it a little before you drink it cause it's hot," he gently scolded Rin who was about to attempt to chug the entire mug.

After everything was said and done Shirou shooed the little ones off to get ready for bed and he sat down in a chair near the heater to let more warmth seep into his skin. He relaxed into his chair.

"They're growing up fast." Shirou gave a small jump as he turned around to see none other than Mephisto Pheles. He was dressed in his usual, or should he say unusual, clothes. He stood in the doorway, his top hat off with that one curl of hair sticking up. Shirou chuckled.

"And it seems you're getting older if I was able to catch you off guard. Where are those exorcist reflexes of yours Fujimoto?" he teased.

"I would think I wouldn't need to put up my guard in my own home, especially since most demons can't even get in here," he scoffed lightheartedly. "And yes they are. It's almost been eleven years already since that day…" A moment of silence passed before Shirou turned to face Mephisto completely.

"And what is it you're doin here? It isn't for a mission is it? This close to Christmas?" He furrowed his brow as he keenly looked at the demon for any sign that something was amiss. The demon gave a small smile.

"Is there something wrong with visiting old friends?" he queried. Mephisto did have to admit to himself that it had been a really time since he had seen Shirou though that's not something he'd openly admit to the priest. "It seems we both have been busy; you with the children and myself with the school." Shirou gave a snort.

"You sound like an old man remembering his days of youth before he was forced to become an adult." The priest crossed his arms across his chest and shook his head as he sighed impishly.

"You're to speak about acting like an old man. You with your glasses and greying hair? Can you even keep up with those little ones of yours? "The purple haired demon stuck out his tongue before he went over and grabbed Shirou cheeks. "I mean come on, look at all these wrinkles in your face you must be pushing seventy at least." The school principle smiled widely as he saw the exorcist's face form a look of annoyance.

"Seventy my ass. At least I look like I eat actual food, does your diet consist of just candy and other junk food still? You look like a scarecrow that hasn't slept in decades," he retaliated. Mephisto let out a bellowing laugh that reverberated through the room.

"You know I only jest. Plus paperwork gets real boring real fast and the higher ups are constantly pestering me about it. It is nice to just get away." Mephisto flopped himself down into the other chair, his long legs rested between Shirous, that ridiculous cape hung loose across the back of the chair.

"Yeah, yeah whatever you say." Shirou gave his friend a good look over and noticed the same thin body, ageless face, the preposterous clothing he insisted on wearing. How the hell did he ever become friends with such a weirdo and a demon at that?

"You know, things could go back to the way they used to be, before we found Rin and Yukio up in those mountains… just the two of us like it used to be," Mephisto whispered softly. Shirou tensed in his chair.

"Mephisto, you know that it won't work. We both have responsibilities and we just can't. I don't think it would work… that's why it didn't work the first time." He turned away from him, not wanting to look at his old friends face in fear of seeing the hurt there. The clock on the wall ticked away, its arms showing that it was almost eleven. It was then that he felt the soft embrace of arms around him from behind his chair.

"It was still nice seeing your Shirou. It really has been a long, long time. But it is getting late and you're an old fart that needs his sleep." Shirou gave a sharp jab with his elbow into Mephistos side. He walked back around to in front of Shirou and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. He smiled that clownish smile of his as he took his leave. He sat there in shock for a few moments thinking about what had happened within the span of an hour or so. By the time he got up from his chair the clock was almost to midnight and his muscles were sore from not moving for so long.


	2. Chapter 2

Shirou was awakened by Rin whom had decided to attempt to make him scrambled eggs. He took them from the small boy.

"Daddy, there's even more snow now!" Shirou took a bite out of them and swallowed even if Rin had added a bit too much salt to it. He smiled at his son to show that he appreciated the breakfast. Yukio then walked in with a cup of orange juice to go along with the meal.

"Here you go father." He handed it over to the older man. The twins crawled up onto the bed with him so they could shove their cold feet under the blankets. They both looked at each other for a split moment before they started to wiggle their toes. Shirou watched in amusement as he ate his breakfast. Usually Rin wasn't awake this early so it was strange to see him up at the same time as his brother. That boy could sleep through a bomb and it was always a struggle to get him up in the mornings. It was then that he could hear the stirrings of the other priests of the monastery. He took a swig of orange juice before he spoke.

"Boys, its time! Come on, come on! Christmas decorations!" he shouted. Yukio and Rin followed quickly as there guardian pulled down the doorway to the attic. At was then that Nagatomo was coming down the hallway half way dressed in his priest robes.

"Shirou what are you doing?" He looked up at the exorcist in wonderment who was still dressed in a t-shirt and long pants.

"Getting Christmas decorations of course." A huge smile was on his face. "Yesterday was the first snow, you know the tradition." He said it in a tone that indicated that it should be obvious. Rin and Yukio giggled like crazy.

"Whoa, you actually got Rin out of bed? What was broken this time?" Rin then gave a huff and stomped over to him, his fists curled up. He radiated irritation.

"I didn't break anything and you know it." Rin tried to put on an angry pout but Nagatomo thought he just looked like a dork. He crouched down to Rin's height and patted his head with a smile.

"You know I didn't mean it silly. You're a good boy." The look of irritation turned to one of annoyance.

"Don't pat my head I'm not a dog." This made both adults and his brother laugh. His father patted him on the head also, little Rin looked up at him with a pout.

"How about you let me and the other priests bring down the Christmas decorations," stated the younger priest. Shirou gave a snort.

"Geez, you're calling me old too?" he mumbled. Both Yukio and Nagatomo heard them, confusion on their faces while Rin had wandered off to his room. A few moments later he ran back out with several Santa hats. He handed one out to each person present and also gave Nagatomo a couple extra.

"Give these to the others!" the blue eyed boy said excitedly. He pulled his on a little bit too fast and it went over his eyes. Rin had a huge grin on his face which was contagious to everyone around. Everyone else put on the hats and went about their business. Once all the decorations were brought down everyone pitched in a hand with the hanging of lights and the steady flow of Christmas cooking that came from the kitchen. The whole monastery was alive with the smells and sounds of Christmas, the snow slowly falling outside. At each window a candle glowed, lights and ornaments glittered on their seven foot tall tree. It was when Shirou had Yukio on his shoulders to put some of the final ornaments and the star to the tree when a familiar figure with purple hair. The demon was waving at the priest with a smile on his face. The priest put his son down before going outside.

"What in the world are you doing?" he asked the principle. Mephisto continued to grin as he approached Shirou and gave him a hug. The tall gentle demon didn't have his usual choice of clothes on which had been replaced by long white pants with a matching jacket, purple gloves and a fuzzy pink scarf. He didn't have his top hat with him so the long curl stuck up. The tip of his nose and his cheeks were a rosy red colour.

"How long have you been waiting out here? You could get sick you silly fool!" he threw up his arms in exaggeration. The taller man gave a small chuckle.

"Like a little bit of snow and cold is going to make me sick." He stuck out his tongue which made him look like a small child. The grey haired priest crossed his arms and shook his head.

"But really Mephisto, why are you here? Don't you have paper work and such to do?" It didn't really bother the priest that he was there but he did wonder why he has shown up two days in a row. The other gave a huff, a cloud of warm breath showed up in the cold.

"I took a vacation and though maybe I could spend it with you. You of all people should know I wouldn't go back to Gehenna or have my little brother come stay with me; it would be a huge disaster." Shirou stood there in thought for a few moments before he spoke again.

"Well if you're going to stay then you need to get inside right now because I'm getting cold and unlike you I can get sick." He pulled the violet haired demon inside the monastery.

"Wipe off all the snow here at the doorway so you don't track it through the house. We worked hard to clean up and decorate." The principle took off his scarf and jacket to reveal a dark dress shirt. It was very odd to see the demon in such a shirt but just like his normal white top wear this shirt conformed to his body. In that moment he had a short flashback to when he was younger and they were still together. The memory of lilacs and laughter drifted through his mind. It was when he felt a tug at his priest's robe that he came back to reality.

"Daddy who's this?" a confused Rin asked. At first he wasn't sure how he was going to answer his son because technically Mephisto was his older half-brother but Rin nor even Yukio knew this and plus Shirous past connection to the demon was considered one of those sticky situations to explain.

"Um, he's a colleague and an old friend of mine. You've met him before but you were really young so you probably don't remember him. This is my son Rin." He gave Mephisto a look that said that he better play along with the conversation so that trouble was not caused. But as Shirou had looked at him he could have sworn that there was a look of hurt or pain on his face before it was hidden away by a smile.

"Hello there Rin, it's nice to see you again." Mephisto crouched down to the boys' level and stuck out his hand. The dark haired boy took his hand and gave it a little shake. The young boy didn't seem frightened at him at all, if anything he seemed curious.

"Why do you have purple hair?" he asked. He brought his hand up and touched the curl that seemed to never go away no matter what was done to it.

"Well, I was born with it, just like how you were born with black hair." Mephisto gave a small laugh before standing back up again. It was then that Rin seemed to have a look of panic.

"I forgot about the cookies!" he ran off towards the kitchen leaving the two men alone at the doorway again. Shirou sort of shuffled from step to step.

"Dinner should be ready soon so don't go off and disappear." Shirou went off to the kitchen to check on the dinner preparations while Mephisto looked around at decorations the residents of the church had been putting up all day. He gave a small chuckle he never understood the reason for decorating at such lengths for a holiday that only lasted one day. He did have to admit that the smell of food throughout the house smelled amazing. Since he already knew where everything was in the house he went to the kitchen where he found Shirou covered in flour and his two boys giggling like mad along with the other priests. He couldn't help but join in at seeing the older priest in such a state. Shirou on the other hand was trying to keep a serious face and give a light scolding but he couldn't help but laugh along with everyone else. It was then that the other priests noticed the demon.

"Oh hello there Mr Faust, it's nice to see you again." They all waved and gave him a smile which he returned.

"Oi, since you're here you should help set the table." Everyone started to move in a flurry as they pulled out food from the oven and microwave, all the food looking mouth-watering. He went to the cabinets and set them all on the table for the correct amount of silver wear and cups. He felt a tug at his pants and he looked down. Little Rin looked up at him.

"Can I call you Mephy? You're first name is too long." The purple haired man froze for a moment, his cheeks flushed with a tint of pink. That had been one of Shirous' nicknames for him years ago. It was a good thing they were in the kitchen so if anyone had asked he would have been able to say that it was from the heat in the room. He gave a nervous chuckle before he answered.

"Of course little one." He didn't want to say no in case it would cause the boy to ask questions. It was already awkward that Rin and Yukio were his little brothers even if they didn't know it so he just wanted to keep things simple. Once everything settled down and everyone had sat down at the table plates were being passed around. Dinner was joyous and full of laughter as everyone conversed amongst themselves. Mephisto had found a seat next to Shirou so he could be close. The king of chaos really did miss the priest; he really did care about him a lot. It then just hit him that Shirou was talking to him.

"Gees, you try and say that I'm old but you're the one that is zoning out on us." He laughed and his smile grew huge. Mephistos face grew red from the embarrassment of being caught drifting off and maybe even staring at the other. He hid his face behind his hands to hide the fact he was blushing.

"Shirou you can be so cruel sometimes," the house guest mumbled. That made the priest snort.

"Maybe you've just gotten soft Mephisto." Shirou stuck his tongue out at him to show he was being playful. "Well look at the time it's almost ten o'clock! It's time for you boys to get to bed now." Yukio gave a small nod before he got up with his plate and took it to the kitchen but Rin gave a little resistance. Everyone that lived within the church knew there was going to be a show down so they grabbed empty food dishes and scattered.

"But I don't want to go to bed," the oldest twin pouted. Rin had his arms crossed and was ready to fight every step of the way. It was then that Mephisto had a plan.

"Rin, if I tell you a secret will you go to bed?" Shirou looked over at him wide eyed not knowing what kind of secret the demon would reveal. Mephisto just gave the other a wink before crouching down and beckoned the boy forward. Rin hesitantly walked forward before the odd man leaned closer. "Only good boys that to as their told and go to bed will get a special gift from Santa," he whispered. The boy stepped back and looked at him in awe.

"Really?" he asked. Mephisto gave a nod and Rin turned on his heels and ran upstairs to his room. Shirou looked at him in confusion.

"What did you tell him? It better not have been something weird." The pale demon chuckled.

"Sorry Shirou, I can't tell you. I told Rin it was a secret." He made a childish face, his tongue stuck out of his mouth. It was then that he realized something. "Shirou, where will I be sleeping while I'm here?" he asked curiously.

"The guest room obviously since you are a guest." Mephisto looked a little crest fallen but Shirou had already turned around and was heading up the stairs so he didn't see it. The purple haired man followed him to where the room was located. The priest showed the other where everything was and just before he went to leave Mephisto grabbed his wrist to pull him back. He leaned down and placed a soft kiss on Shirous lips. It lasted only a moment longer than the one from the night before but it was long enough for Shirou to get flustered and red faced.

"You just can't do that Mephisto!" His hands were clenched at his sides and his ears and cheeks were bright red. His friend laughed.

"Oh but why not?" he asked teasingly. This really flustered Shirou.

"Because you just can't! Just shouldn't! Erg!" He stomped out of the room to his bedroom where he got ready for bed where he took his frustration out on his blankets as he roughly yanked them forward and crawled into bed. Mephisto gave a small giggle before he snapped his fingers and changed into a pair of pink boxers with polka dots and got in bed.

It wasn't till the next morning that Shirou had realized Mephisto had waited for him to fall asleep before he had snuck into his room and had crawled into his bed with him. He had woken with the feeling of warm breath on the back of his neck and long arms wrapped around his waist which ended up with Shirou pushing the other out of the bed in protest.

* * *

><p>Blarg sorry it took so long to write this. Dx But hopefully it's not to shitty. Review to tell me what I could do better? Or just what you think. Thank you for reading! Also happy holidays!<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

Shirou was down in the kitchen where he brewed the morning coffee and thought over the things that needed to be done between that moment and Christmas. The church helped out with many charities at this time of year such as clothes and food drives. It would become very busy soon and it was only the 10th. He felt a strange feeling at his feet and he looked down to find a small white dog in front of him on the floor, a pink bow with white polka dots on his neck. He looked up at Shirou with droopy eyes, his little tail swished back and forth behind him. The human raised his eyebrows at down at the furry creature in question. There was a giant cloud of pink smoke and Mephisto stood before him in a loose yutuka hung from his lithe frame. An annoyed look was placed upon the demons face.

"You pushed me out of the bed you jerk." He had his one hand balled at his hip and the other pointed at Shirou in an accusing manner. "And it hurt my butt." The old man looked at him over his cup of coffee.

"Then maybe I shouldn't wake to find you in the bed you pervy demon." He took another sip of his coffee as Mephisto pouted and turned away.

"That isn't what you used to say," he mumbled. A swift kick from behind sent the robed cladded man to the floor, a pair of pink boxer shorts with spots on them peaked out as he laid there. He could see Mephistos tail was hidden beneath the torso section of the yutuka, the tip of his tail looked well cared for. Shirou blushed as he realized he had been basically staring at the others butt for almost a full minute. He looked away as the demon stood up straightening out the wrinkles of his outfit, a pout upon his face. Shirou grumbled something about getting the boys up before he escaped from the kitchen to avoid explaining why his face was red. As he struggled to pull a half asleep Rin out of bed Yukio came over to him after he made his bed and tugged on his sleeve.

"Father what is that weird smell from downstairs?" he asked curiously. Shirou stood up and the smell hit his nose. He gave up on getting Rin up and ran down the stairs into the kitchen to find Mephisto at the stove making something that had purple steam coming up from it.

"What in the world are you making?" he nearly shouted. The demon slowly turned his head towards the priest, his eyes slightly wide.

"I thought it was obvious, it's oatmeal." The older looking man looked at what was in the pan. The sticky purple goo looked nothing like oatmeal but rather purple bugs. He crinkled up his nose.

"I hope you don't think you'll be feeding that to the kids, it just might kill them," he scolded. "And also put on some real clothes, you can't just walk around in your pjs all day!" Mephisto looked over at the exorcist who was still in a t-shirt and pj pants.

"Shirou, you have no room to talk. You are wearing these raggedy "bed clothes" when you could definitely be wearing something much better... Or even less clothes," he purred. Shirou started to sputter and become flustered.

"Just no to whatever you're cooking, and get changed. I still need to drag Rin out of bed." The speckled man half ran, half walked back up the stairs to the boys' room. Yukio was already dressed while Rin was still laid face down into his pillow. Shirou then got an idea. He grabbed Rin by the ankles and hoisted him up into the air. (A/N: When I think 10 years old in anime they're always smaller than what I would think a real 10 y/o would look like. Sorry for me babbling here.) The older twin gave a shout and started to flail around. The older man stretched his arms out so the young boys' fists didn't make contact with his torso.

"It's time for you to get up, you just can't lay in bed all day!" he said sternly. He young boy tried to look angry but ended up looking ridiculous since his hair was everywhere. "I'll only put you down if you get up and bathe." He said this in a playful matter. Rin clenched his hands and kept them at his side.

"No, now put me down!" As he struggled to get his son to do what he wanted Yukio was downstairs with Mephisto. The demon was still trying to cook food but with some instructions from the younger twin. The principle had changed his clothes before the youngster had come downstairs. He had on a pair of white pants and a nice collared dark purplish polo. It wasn't his usual choice of clothes but since he decided to take a vacation he might as well take it down a few notches. The youngest twin had taken some eggs from the fridge and was giving him instructions on what to do to make human edible scrambled eggs.

"You have to put stuff on the pan so it doesn't stick." He pointed at a cabinet which was too high up for him to reach so Mephisto went over and opened the cabinet door. There in the back of the cabinet was what they needed. Once all that was needed to make the scrambled eggs was scattered across the counter Yukio stood next to Mephisto on a chair to give instruction.

"Why is there so much preparation for such a small meal?" the demon inquired. The boy next to him looked up at the taller man.

"So it will taste good of course. Usually Rin is the one to cook but since father is having problems getting him up this morning we'll have to cook." The purple haired being stared down at this boy who is supposed to be an offspring of Satan, his little brother, but he couldn't see any of that there. He only saw happiness of having a loving family and it made him smile at the thought that it was Shirou that has raised him this way. He even saw some of Shirous personality from when he was younger in Rin. Even though the priest wasn't blood related to them and what the twins were went against what he believes in he still treats them like his flesh and blood. He then realized he had spaced out while on his train of thought and Yukio was staring at him in confusion. He quickly grabbed the butter and a couple eggs and cracked them into the pan. After about a half a minute of cooking he plopped some butter into the pan with the eggs, Yukio couching him on how to scramble them with the spatula. Sometime during the ordeal Shirou had finally gotten Rin out of bed, dressed, and down the stairs. Mephisto thought it was mostly because the smell of food was through the house. Once the eggs that he was currently cooking were finished he put them on a place and offered them to Rin as a peace offering. He looked up at Mephisto with those bright blue eyes before taking the plate and setting it on the table. He picked up the fork that had been placed at the table and stabbed at some of the eggs before he shoved it into his mouth. A few moments passed as he chewed the food and took another bite. A sigh left Shirous' lips from where he stood in the doorway.

"Boy, you're the reason my hair is starting to turn grey." He rubbed at the bridge of his nose, stress wrinkles etched into his forehead. There was a scrape against hard wood floor before he felt small arms wrap themselves around his body. He looked down to see Rin's face buried into his stomach.

"Sorry daddy…" he mumbled. Yukio also came over and hugged their father, a smile on his face. A smile stretched itself across Shirous face, his eyes glowing with love for his sons. All of a sudden a shadow covered everyone, and the feeling of another set of arms enveloped him. Mephisto was a good seven inches taller than he was so when the odd man pulled him into a tighter hug his chin rested on his shoulder. He heard the two little ones giggle.

"Daddy, you gotta give Mephy a hug too," Rin said in a muffled voice. A blush crept into his cheeks and the tips of his ears as Rin used his old nickname for the demon.

"Uh, ok." He brought his arms around the other man in front of him. Everyone was now mushed together in a giant hug, his arms going all the way around and crossing even with leaving a bit of room for the twins between them. "Mephisto do you ever actually eat real food? You're like a twig!" The man in question gave a chuckle and pulled away from the hug to face Shirou.

"Maybe you can fix that while I'm here to stay, nein?" With the close proximity Shirous face lit up bright red and then Mephisto did that wink and grin that had made any women (and some men) swoon in sight when they were younger, hell it probably still did since the bearded man didn't look a day over 26 at most. It was getting awkward for Shirou and Mephisto knew it.

"Ok, ok it's time for us to cook make breakfast for everyone else not just Rin!" He detangled himself from the group hug and hoped that his _friend _hadn't felt the heavy beating in his chest. Shirou started to cook more scrambled eggs while Rin and Yukio made toast. Eventually the other priests came out of their rooms to gather round for breakfast. Everyone sat down at the table, hands being spread out. Mephisto looked on both sides of him; Rin and Yukio looked at him expectantly with their hands palms up. He realized that there was going to be grace. He took their small hands into his and bowed his head with them. A smirk played on his face. It was weird to think that he, a demon of Gehenna, was saying grace before eating breakfast. Though hearing Shirou say the Lord's Prayer whose voice becomes deep and serious, a shiver going down his spine but the illusion ended once the prayer ended and everyone said amen. Everything became lively again as they passed milk, orange juice, sausage, and a plate of toast. It was rare for Mephisto to actually have a sit down meal especially even more rare for it to be with other people. He usually just sat in his office eating ramen by himself. Shirou stood up from his seat.

"Well, it's time that I get some things done! It's almost Christmas so I need to go speak with the local charities and such. Mephisto since you seem to be our long term guest would you mind helping with cleaning? And maybe hang out with the boys?" Shirou gave him a look that basically meant 'They're technically still your brothers even if they don't know it so be nice'.

"But of course! It would be rude of me to just come into your home and not help." Green eyes looked across the table with feigned innocence. It reality Mephisto had wanted to follow Shirou around and pester him since it everything still affected him the same way it did in their previous relationship. The head priest nodded his head and went to go get dressed so he could go out in the snow. There were cheers from both sides.

"Does this mean that we will get to play in the snow and make snow angels Mephy?" Rin's eyes were so big with excitement and a smile seemed to take up half his face. He chuckled. It really was funny the thought of demons making snow angels.

"I don't believe I have ever made a snow angel, so you're gonna have to show me." The dark haired boy gasped in surprise.

"You've never made a snow angel? But you're like old! You should have done it as a kid or something!" The tall man gave a huff in slight annoyance.

"I am not old! Do I look old to you?" All the other priests were snickering because Mephisto was throwing a fit over being told he was old. Yukio was giggling too since Rin's simple words had gotten the adult so upset. His cheeks were flushed and puffed out, his fists curled up at his sides.

"Mr Faust you l-look like Rin does w-when he throws a fit too!" Izumi barely got the words out between fits of laughter. Everyone was in fits of giggles at the principles expense.

"I'll show you who's old." He stomped over to the stairs and turned back to the twins. "This shall be war! Go get whatever clothes kids wear in the snow and be back quick!" If there was one thing he knew about the human winter season was snow ball fights since Shirou used to surprise attack him all the time. He'll show them and they won't think he was old anymore. He went into the room he was staying in and snapped his fingers. His white jacket and light pink scarf appeared. Once he was bundled up he went downstairs to find them already at the door. That's when Rin stuck his tongue out in a mocking manner.

"Whatever your planning we're gonna win cause you're old!" The childish manner which he says it gets Mephisto all ruffled up again.

"Don't taunt me boy I'll prove to you that I am well able to beat you at your silly games!" He gave a huff as he chased them out the door, his breath instantly turning into clouds. The two trouble makes ran off in different directions which Mephisto assumed they were trying to surprise him somehow. He crouched down and scooped up some snow while his ears stayed attuned to everything around him. He heard a rustle to his right, ducking right as the snow ball whizzed past. He threw his snow ball as he rolled across the ground. He saw it just go over Rin's head. He felt a hit on his back and cursed. Yukio had gotten him while he was distracted by Rin. He rolled over again and swept at the snow with his arm throwing the powdery layer on top to fly through the air. There was a war shout and Mephisto tried to get up quickly but a ball of fury tackled him back to the ground. They had both surrounded him throwing snow on him and into his jacket.

"Oh come on! It isn't fair there are two of you!" It was then that laughter could be heard. Rin and Yukio stopped the snow torture and ran to the gate.

"Dad!" they both shouted. They both hugged their father looking like one of those perfect families on TV. Shirou had the biggest smile on his face and it made Mephistos heart melt.

"You really got beaten by two almost 11 year old children? I would have thought with you being an exorcist you would at least be able to do that!" He gave another hearty laugh. "But at least you made sure my kids were bundled up so they don't get sick I have to give you credit for that." Mephisto snorted.

"They ganged up on me, it wasn't fair. I had to be gentle or I might have hurt one of them. And they called me old." He crossed his arms across his chest and pouted his cheeks red from cold and embarrassment. This really made Shirou laugh this time.

"And you let them bait you into getting angry about it therefore a distraction. It's a war strategy Mephisto you should have recognized it." The priest really was getting enjoyment out of teasing because the other got so childish about it. "Well we should all get inside because it's cold and you need to get changed I am not taking care of your sick butt." He corralled the boys through the front door as Mephisto followed. As the young ones ran upstairs to change Shirou was shouting through the house for them to not leave their clothes on the ground but to shove them in the dryer. He turned back to the soaked man behind him.

"I want to thank you for lookin' after them and even hanging out and playin' with them. They may not act like it but I'm sure they appreciated it." The small smile that Shirou was showing him had warmth spreading throughout his whole chest, the desire to just stand there all day and stare at that smile was strong. Shirou turned to go up the stairs and spoke again.

"Well, we should get you out of your wet clothes." Mephistos whole face lit up red and it wasn't the colds fault. The sexual innuendo that could be hidden within that one sentence caused his stomach to clench. He remembered that he was supposed to be following the other and forced his legs to take himself upset. He hoped against hope that his body wasn't going to betray him. He noticed going up the stairs that someone had mistletoe hung from one of the doorways. If Shirou had noticed it he didn't show a reaction. Mephisto had started to take off his scarf and unbuttoning his jacket. Shirou had always scolded him to not use his magic to do things when he was at the monastery but the demon used it anyway when the human exorcist wasn't around. He heard him sigh.

"Come here you're taking too long." The maroon eyed man slapped the others hands out of the way before he started to unbutton the jacket. He didn't put much hope in God being Satan's son and all but he was praying that somehow this emotional torture will end. So close but he couldn't do anything that wouldn't upset Shirou. But it was just so hard and not fair! When he wasn't paying attention his jacket had been taken off and thrown into the dryer. The internal battle was lost and he thought just screw it, if I mess up i'll fix it later. As the robed man was putting the settings into the dryer Mephisto took a deep breath and took a step forward.

"Shirou…" he said in just over a whisper. The other turned around at the sound of his name and the taller exorcist leaned forward and captured the priest's lips. Shirou didn't panic like Mephisto thought he was going to or push away so one hand slipped around his waist, the other to his left shoulder. The kiss was simple and gentle but he didn't care because he was kissing Shirou, HIS Shirou the one that he missed so much. His lips were soft and the scruffy part of his beard rubbed up against the demons face. There is a sweet taste of coffee and no longer like cigarettes since he had quit for the boys. He pulled him closer to his body, wanting to remember what it felt like to just have his warmth next to him, to feel his heart beat next to the demons own. Then a thought occurred 'air!' He had stopped his breathe in fear of breaking the perfect moment. He pulled away; both their faces had pink dusted across their skin. The kiss was so simple, not even that sexual but it had taken Mephistos breath away.

"I-I... uumm I s-should go ch-check on the b-boys." He basically ran down the stairs. The green eyed demon thought that what had transpired to be somewhat successful. Shirou hadn't exactly freaked out but he hadn't thrown him down on the bed and have his way with him either. The pounding of his heart could be heard in his ears. He let out the breath he had been holding and turned the dryer on that Shirou had forgotten ( or distracted more like it ) to start it before he went to his guest room and plopped face down on his bed.


	4. Chapter 4

Okay guys I gotta say i'm so sorry it took so long. College happened and some other problems too. I am currently trying extremely hard to find a job or at least raise money to go to Otakon since it's 70 dollars this year. I am doing art commissions and some crochet commissions so if anyone is interested contact me on here please. ;~; I really want to go to Otakon so I can cosplay as Mephisto, Renzou, and Reno and have fun and stuff like that. D: Else i'll be really sad cause Teahouse is gonna be there this year. So I hope you guys enjoy this chapter and I know it took forever but yeah. Enjoy.

* * *

><p>Shirou had made his way back downstairs as quickly as possible. Just the thought of what had just happened caused his whole body to heat up. He went out onto the porch and leaned his back against the wall outside the door. Fresh snow had fallen down from the cloudy grey sky and covered up the slush from the day before. He let out a long sign as he slid down onto the porch. He really didn't care if passer-by's stared at him for sitting down on the wet ground, he just needed to think over what had just happened. Mephisto had tasted like that morning's breakfast and the ramen he insisted on eating. Everything about the kiss had been gentle and had felt like an eternity of his lips against his own. Shirou had frozen up completely and once he was able to move he panicked and Mephisto probably thought he was a real jerk now. He could avoid the demon but he wasn't sure how long he planned to stay or how he would react. He huffed and slammed his fist into the porch.<p>

"Come on now, it really isn't fair. Why does he have to do this to me? We're supposed to be adults with adult jobs and all that crap. He can't just show right back up and expect us to just go back to how we were before!" He threw his hands up and they connected with the wall. There was a whimper of pain before a sound of surprise left the priests mouth. His little fit had caused some of the snow to fall and it landed on top of him. He let out a manly squeak as the cold snow slipped down the back of his priests robes. There was the sound of the door being slammed and Rin appeared, his face twisted in confusion of whatever he was thinking before he saw Shirou on the ground, snow all throughout his hair. The youngster let out laughter that reverberated against all the walls.

"Oi you think that's funny do you." The boy's father scooped enough snow to cover Rin head to toe and flung it at him. Rin shouted and floundered about trying to get the snow out of his hoodie. Shirou chuckled.

"Now we both need to get changed again." He scooped him up and half flung him over his shoulder as the ten year old protested. Once inside he swung his son around in a circle like he did when he was younger before he set him down. Rin stuck his tongue out in a childish manner and Shirou mirrored him.

"You can't tell me what to do!" he shouted as he ran up to his room giggling. He watched as his eldest ran up to the stairs to his room. He sighed and blushed as he remembered that Mephisto was also upstairs somewhere and he was debating if he should go up to his room or not.

"I can't let what he did affect everything I do," he mumbled. He went up the stairs trying to be as quiet as possible so not to alert the demon that he was there. He slipped through his bedroom door and made sure to shut the door as quietly as possible. He let out a sighed and plopped down on his bed. Thoughts of what had happened came back to his mind, his cheeks flushed pink.

"I am way too old to be acting like this; I'm not some love sick teenage girl. Plus he should know better than to do something so… so… ugh!" He flopped back onto the bed and kicked his boots off. He crawled under the blankets with his day clothes still on not without a care. Once he was beneath the blankets and before he slipped off to sleep he mumbled, "Stupid demon jerk for making me act stupid…" He soon fell back asleep, not a single dream arrived in his mind for he was exhausted. Just across the hall that 'stupid demon' still laid on the bed. He had heard Shirou come up the stairs and go into his room and then had heard his muffled voice through the wall though he couldn't understand what was being said. It was soon followed by a couple clunks and then silence. He wondered if his friend was angry at him or if maybe a bit embarrassed.

"I must admit though he is quite adorable when he get flustered." He snapped his fingers and he was changed back into his pjs before he made a small pillow fort next to him in the shape of a person to cuddle with. Was he was comfortable under the blanket he drifted off to sleep where he dreamt of his earlier days with Shirou.

_The day it had all started, the day where it was a date but not a date had happened. Shirou had asked Mephisto out to lunch that day. He was only 24 at the time and it had only been a couple years after he had met the young priest. It had come as a surprise to the demon when he had asked him since the two hadn't talked to each other much but he had said yes anyway. It was odd having someone ask him out to eat since he usually ate by himself in his office. They had gone to one of the small café's around True Cross Academy for a simple meal. They had made small talk about each other's day and how missions were going during their lunch. But something about the blonde exorcist was off. He had seemed nervous, not at all like his cocky self. They had ordered a small dessert to share once they had finished their lunch. They had gotten one of those large brownies with whipped cream and strawberries. This had made the principle chuckle._

"_So you know about my weakness for sweets?" he had asked jokingly. Shirou had looked up from his plate, eyes wide and the tips of his ears red. Mephisto seemed to have thrown the young man off his thought track; he had seemed so surprised at the question. It was then the taller man noticed there was a spot of whipped cream on Shirou's cheek. He leaned forward and wiped it away with his thumb. If Shirou had had anything to say it was now gone as he sucked in his breath in shock and his face went tomato red._

"_W-what was that for?" he stuttered out. Mephisto licked the whipped cream off his finger._

"_You had whipped cream on your face. As funny as it may be to me I couldn't just let you leave here and not know it was there." Green eyes glowed with amusement of the idea. Shirous face turned even a dark red._

"_Well, thanks…"he mumbled. It was definitely out of character for Shirou to act this way. _

"_Is there something wrong? You're not being your usual self." he asked him. He blonde haired man was quiet and wide eyed. There was a few moments silence before he responded._

"_Nothing's wrong, why would there be anything wrong?" All the words had come out stumbled and almost complete gibberish. _

"_What is that one saying you humans have? 'Cat got your tongue?' I guess it would have to be used in this situation even though I don't know how your kind came up with such a silly saying." He chuckled as he plopped a strawberry into his mouth. And that comment seemed to be the one thing that broke through the awkwardness because Shirou gave a small laugh._

"_I don't know either." It seemed that the stress that had built up in the young man's body vanished as he relaxed. They finished their meal with a comfortable chatter. Shirou had insisted he pay the bill for all the food before they left the café. They walked back to the door they had used to transport them here in silence. The purple haired demon pulled out his set of keys and found the one they needed to get back to the academy. They stepped through the door into Mephistos office. Everything was orderly, even the good sized stack of paperwork that was on his desk. The elder of the two sighed. _

"_Well, I guess this means I have to get back to work. It seems the paperwork around here is never ending. He sat down at his desk and started to sort through his work. _

"_Thank you for the lunch. It was nice." He gave an open smile to the young exorcist and he swore he had seen Shirou smile back with a blush across his face as he left. _

There was a loud noise coming from somewhere. Mephisto shot up in bed, his fight instincts kicked in for a few moments before he remembered he was at the monastery and they had barriers against demons. The noise came again and he realized it was someone knocking at the door. He looked over at the clock beside him and saw that it was 9:30. His eyes widened in shock. He had never slept for that long ever. Just the thought boggled his mind since he usually only got an hour of sleep each night. The knocking finally stopped and Yukio walked in.

"You missed breakfast since you didn't wake up this morning but lunch will be soon." Mephisto rubbed the sleep crud from his eyes and then stretched.

"Where's your father?" he yawned out, his words slightly distorted. He kept his tail hidden under the blanket so not to frighten the boy and have questions asked. Big blue eyes stared up at half asleep green ones.

"Father left early this morning for errands. I don't know when he will be back though, he didn't say." Mephisto tried not to let the disappointment show on his face. He really wanted to talk to Shirou about what had happened or at least try to even if he acted like he wasn't listening but really was. There was a boom as a ball of energy busted through the door that had swung shut. A ball of energy crashed into Mephistos torso.

"You gotta get up, you gotta get up! There's more snow outside!" The small boy jumped up and down on the bed, Mephisto looked down at the boy in his lap. Rin's hair was a mess and from the looks of it he hadn't even changed out of his pyjamas yet.

"Come on Mephy!" he squealed. Rin grabbed a hold of Mephistos cheeks and pulled on them to make them look funny. The demon was surprised at first and then tried to look irritated as he pulled the boys hands away from his face but couldn't stay that way long with Rin's happy giggles.

"You aren't even dressed so how do you expect to play outside? Also what about food? I have to eat to you know." Rin gave a pout that Mephisto knew all too well from Amaimon.

"That look won't work on me short stuff." There was laughter at the doorway and he looked up to find a couple of the priests and Yukio trying to stifle their laughter but failing. Now that so many people were in his room he became super aware of his tail underneath the comforter.

"Why is everyone in here all of a sudden? Shoo I need to get dressed. Go eat or something and then I'll come downstairs and eat with you if you're not finished. Then I _might _go outside to play. You little monsters attacked me last time." He pushed Rin to the edge of the bed and made the shooing motion again. He got off the bed and stuck his tongue out at Mephisto before he left the room with his brother and the priests. He groaned and plopped back down on the bed and sighed.

"They are full of so much energy." He detangled himself from the blankets and sheets, his tail unravelled behind him. He took good care of his tail unlike Amaimon who seemed to never brush or wash it. In the light the deep purple highlights could be seen throughout the dark fur at the tip of his tail. He went into the guest room's bathroom and noted that it was a lot smaller than the one in his residence but it was going to have to do. He snapped his fingers and his bath time supplies. He filled the tub up with hot water and poured in cotton candy scented bubble bath. He slipped into the bathtub and his body shivered as it grew accustomed to the difference in temperature. Once his body was submerged he relaxed and lazily moved his tail, watched as it separated the bubbles at the surface.

"It's been a while since I've been able to take a relaxing bath. It feels really nice." With another snap of his fingers the basket with his bath products floated closer. The demon grabbed the bottle of blue cotton candy shampoo and squirted a good amount into his hand. He massaged the shampoo into his hair until it was a nice foamy blue all over the top of his head. He brought his tail over the surface of the water and rubbed the remaining shampoo into the fur. Mephisto sighed in content as he ran his slender fingers through his fur. He stretched his body out so his legs hung over the end of the bath tub.

"Oops." Water had splashed out onto the floor and soaked the rug. Green eyes sparkled as he let out a soft chuckle at the small mischief he had caused. That was one of Mephistos quirks that drove Shirou insane, with any chance the demon would cause mischief everywhere they went and get them thrown out of somewhere. As he soaked in the cotton candy scented water he thought back to another memory of them.

_It had been early spring and the cherry blossoms had just started to bloom and Mephisto had begged Shirou to go to the festival in town. It had been just over a month since the tall demon had finally gotten a confession out of the human. Having humans have feelings for him wasn't that surprising to Mephisto, but Shirou having such feelings was a surprise. He had always seemed too serious for relationships or any of those types of things. He had also managed to convince the young exorcist to wear a yutuka to the festival which Shirou looked really nice in. He remembered how the blonde haired man became embarrassed because Mephisto had slapped him on the butt flirtatiously as they had walked down the street. It was and still is fun to tease the poor man. The be-speckled priest had given the demon stern glare but the angry look did no good with the blush across Shirous face. Mephisto had just laughed and continued to tease him for a while longer. They made it to the street stalls with all lanterns everywhere; the lights gave everything and everyone an inner glow. There were many stalls in the streets with sweet treats being sold. They both purchased a candy apple and linked hands as they continued down the street as they checked out the festival stalls. As the night went on Shirou loosened up and they had fun. They had sat down to rest underneath one of the cherry blossom trees. _

"_See, I told you that you would have fun," giggled Mephisto. The priest snorted._

"_You act like I never have any fun at all." Cinnamon eyes looked up to green ones. He then looked around at the crowded streets and saw that no one was paying attention. _

"_Also you're way too tall." Before the purple haired demon could respond he was pulled down by the front of his robe and kissed with soft lips. It came as a shock at first but after a few moments he leaned into it. Tongues slipped past lips, the taste of caramel strong. He could feel heat radiate off Shirous face and this made him smile into the kiss. Soon hands had begun to wander and mouths broke apart, their breath uneven. The blond haired man's face was a magenta colour. _

"_We need to go home… if we're going to do that." Mephisto chuckled at the humans' vague wording for talking about sex. His smile grew huge._

"_I don't think you realize how cute you are. But yes to home we go." A sound of surprise left Shirous mouth as Mephisto picked him up bridal style and carried him back towards the monastery. _

"_What do you think you're doing? You can't just pick me up like this in public! People will stare!" His antics got another chuckle out of Mephisto. _

"_Does that mean I can do this inside the house then?" he inquired with a smirk. The festival wasn't too far from where the human lived so it didn't take long for them to make it back, Shirou mumbling small protests the whole way home. Once through the front door Shirou managed to escape the arms of the other. He had smoothed down his robe but it didn't stay that way long. Soon they were pressed against each other, hands and lips wandered. Robes were soon half hanging off their bodies as they stumbled to the upstairs bedroom. The moment they made it through the bedroom door Shirou was thrown down on the bed and Mephisto crawled on top of the younger man._

"_Hmmm, my little priest you look good from this angle." Green eyes were bright in the darkness, a cheshire cat like grin on his face._

"_You're such a tease, you kno- ah!" Whatever Shirou was going to say after that was cut off by the sudden love bites being left down the side of his neck to his collar bones. The noises Shirou was making went straight to Mephistos groin as he imagined what other ways he could make his lover squirm and moan._

"_Your clothes are getting in the way…" Slender fingers pushed the yutuka off completely leaving the man across the bed nude except for his boxers. Mephisto could see the muscles that were defined but not bulky from Shirous training and missions. A small blonde happy trail led down the centre of his boxers._

"_So beautiful…" he mumbled, his eyes took in all of Shirou. This made the other snort._

"_Says you who doesn't look like he ages at all, but enough talking; time to take off your clothes right now." He said huskily as he pulled down on the loose material; lips connected and tongues collided. The demons robe slid and he groaned as cold air hit hot skin. Calloused hands slowly made their way down to the waist line of the demons boxers and pulled just slightly; not enough to release restricted member from under the material. A soft trail of purple hair led downward._

"_So the carpet matches the drapery then." Shirou gave a soft chuckle at how silly that really sounded once it left his mouth. This made Mephisto laugh._

"_You thought this fabulous hair came from a bottle? You just might have to pay for that statement." He raised his brow, a taunting smirk on his face. Shirous eyes widened at Mephistos tone. The green eyed demon swooped down and captured the humans' lips again, his knee moved to in-between Shirous legs to cause friction. The blonde man arched off the bed and moaned. _

"_Tease!" he groaned out as his partner altered back and forth between firm and soft rubbing against his crotch. _

"_Just… Fuck!" Mephisto smirked as he continued to tease the priest. The young man's breath came in huffs._

"_You just wait and see what I have planned for you." Mephisto ran his nails down Shirous side hard enough to leave red lines. All those sweet noises that Shirou was making made the one on top shiver with anticipation. _

"What do you think you're doing?" Mephisto jolted back to reality and spilled cooling bath water all over the floor. It was then that he felt the pool of heat in his groan. _"Shit, this would happen."_ He wasn't sure if he should thank his father Satan or God in heaven for the luck of having the bubbles to cover up the evidence of his day dream. He put his face into a mask of irritation and looked up at Shirou.

"I'm taking a bath, what does it look like?" he demanded. Cinnamon eyes stared down at green ones.

"Also, is that cotton candy I smell?" Silver eyebrows knitted themselves together in confusion. He looked around at all of Mephistos belongings scattered about the bathroom. They varied from between shades of purple and pink. The purple bearded man looked at him with impatience.

"Yes! Does it really matter? I'm trying to bathe and you're being bothersome." Mephisto really wanted Shirou to leave because he didn't want the man to do that he was having an _issue _at that moment and he wanted to take care of it. It would be an embarrassment to be caught by his ex-lover in such a situation. Mephisto could feel his tail twitch in the water against his thigh. He mentally composed himself to not give way to panic. Sometimes his tail had a mind of its own.

"Why is it taking you so long? You've apparently been in here for more than half an hour Mephisto it really shouldn't take that long to bathe." Even if Shirou didn't realize it but the way he had said Mephistos name caused a shiver up his spine and not only that his tail was attempting to relieve his need beneath the layer of bubbles.

"Would you just leave me alone? You're acting like you're my mother," he growled. Mephisto tried to keep the whine out of his voice and to sound forceful so Shirou would leave him be.

"What is it that you're trying to hide? Or is this one of your silly childish games?" The grey haired man looked down at the other with an intense quizzical stare. The priest took a step forward and the elder exorcist nearly jumped out of the bathtub right there if it hadn't been for the sudden loud footsteps that were coming up the stairs. Rin ran through the door with what looked like flour covered him from head to toe.

"Daddy! Daddy! You gotta help us finish the ginger bread!" The boy was pulling at his father's priest robes, white hands prints multiplying by the second. Shirou looked down at his son and then back to Mephisto. He gave the principle a look that basically said he knew he was hiding something and he was going to find out later. Rin started to yank at Shirous robes again. He followed Rin back downstairs to continue their baking. He plunged his hand down into the water and grabbed his tail which had been slowly creeping to his genitals. He sighed before he started to wash whatever shampoo was left in his hair.

"I need to take care of _this _without having someone just barging in." He could already tell it wasn't going to just go away if he took a cold bath. He couldn't blame Shirou, at least not the one that had just gone downstairs since the man really didn't have anything to do with it. He stood up in the tub. He whimpered as cold air hit his erection. He snapped his fingers and the doors lock clicked.

"Stubborn old man, this problem could be easily fixed if he stopped acting like a child." He carefully stepped out of the tub so he wouldn't slip. He looked down at the puddles of water.

"I better just take care of this now so that he won't get prissy with me." The nude demon snapped his fingers again and the water was gone. He could feel his body protest as he continued to ignore the painful need in his groin. He went over to the wall and leaned against it, the cool tile in extreme contrast to his hot skin. He had managed to keep his tail in control until now. It wrapped itself around the base of his shaft and squeezed. He let out a deep moan as his tail tightened even more and he arched his back. A thin layer of sweat already covered his pale skin, his pupils slightly dilated. He turned to where he was faced the wall, his forehead pressed against the cool surface. His prick was leaking pre cum as he started to use his hand along with his tail.

"Damn S-shirou," he groaned under his breath. His breath was laboured as his hand and tail worked his member to a complete orgasm. He attempted to hold his moan in but it ended up being really low in his throat. He slowly slid his way down the wall to the floor. He was short of breath and his cheeks and the tips of his ears were red.

"Damn it now I have to take another bath!" He threw his fists down in frustration before he went back into the bath. He scrubbed himself down so the smell of cotton candy would overwhelm his body. The kids wouldn't know what the smell of sex or masturbation was but Shirou sure as hell did. Once he was finished he got back out and pulled the plug to the drain. After drying off with a towel he snapped his fingers and his yutuka appeared onto his body and this bath supplies disappeared. He unlocked the door and made his way down the stairs to the small kitchen that the monastery residents were baking in. Both Rin and Shirou turned to face him at the same time. His half-brother had a huge smile on his face and ran towards him. Shirou on the other hand had a look of suspicion. He looked down at Rin to avoid the man's stern look. The little boy had attached himself to Mephistos robes, the most ridiculous grin on his face.

"Will you bake with us? It's a lot of fun! It really is!" He was jumping up and down at this point and the robed man gave a chuckle.

"I don't know it depends on if your daddy lets me do anything with food." It was true that Mephisto wasn't exactly a chef and instant cup ramen was usually what he ate. It was a nice change with having actual full meals with good food. It was also a plus that it was with other people.

"Only if you promise not to blow anything up this time," Shirou said in a serious tone. Mephisto could tell the priest was upset. The demon could see it in the way the others face was set, of how the wrinkles of his skin were positioned. Yes, Mephisto knew he could be troublesome sometimes and he really hated to see Shirou upset.

"Rin, stay with Mephisto okay. Don't run off. I need to go run some errands for the church." He patted Rin's head and gave him a small smile before he left the kitchen. The small boy looked between his father and Mephisto a confused look on his face.

"Did you and daddy get in a fight?" he inquired. It wasn't a moment later Yukio came in with a loose apron on.

"Did something happen to father? It seems something is bothering him." Both the youngsters looked up at him for an answer. Damn, these kids are smart. But then again they were his siblings so that much should be expected.

"He's probably just tired and having to do more work probably isn't helping." The lie was quick to leave his mouth. It was something he was good at and he really didn't want to twins to worry about their father. This situation had to do with him and Shirou and there was no point in bringing them into it. Now a way to keep them distracted.

"Okay it's time to bake! Didn't you want me to bake Rin?" he exclaimed. There was a cheer of excitement from both the twins as they continued throughout the rest of the day to bake many different sweets. Soon night fell and it was time for the boys to go to sleep. Mephisto had worn them out from running around the house and court yard all day. He even managed to tire out Rin enough to get him to go to bed without a fight, which was a huge surprise to the other priests. Finally everyone had settled down and they were all in their rooms but Shirou was still not home. Eventually Mephisto started to become tired which was unusual. He crawled into bed but right before he fell asleep he snapped his fingers and a stuffed animal rabbit appeared. It was really old by stuffed animal standards. Shirou had given it to him on one of their anniversaries. The exorcist had gotten someone to make the rabbit to look like himself so when Shirou was away on missions he would still have something to cuddle with while he slept. The rabbit seemed to have aged along with Shirou. The tufts of hair that were once blonde had faded out to be a grey colour. The animal had that dorky smile and even the eyes matched the humans. He gave it a small frown and snuggled closer to the rabbit.

"Why is he so stubborn? I just miss him a lot and want us to be _us _again," he mumbled into the rabbit's ear. The bunny stared back with blank eyes at Mephistos inquiries. He laid there in silence contemplating many ideas or reasons the two exorcists had split up. He knew that both had gained responsibilities as time went on as time went on. But he couldn't see why they had to stop seeing each other. He brought the rabbit to his chest, Shirous scent still lingered there in the material. The demon had put a spell upon the toy after it had been around Shirou long enough to gather his natural musk. He buried his nose into it and smiled at good memories. He then heard a noise from downstairs, then a few moments silence before the sound continued up the stairs. Mephisto perked his ears as he heard Shirou go into his room and shut the door.

"_At least I know he's safe at home," _he thought. He listened intently as the man in the next room over got ready for bed and the creeks in the mattress signalling that he was finally in bed. Mephisto let out the breath he had been holding in. Now that Shirou was home he could relax a little. He soon fell into a peaceful sleep with pleasant dreams.

"AHHHHHHHHHHH!" A loud scream woke Mephisto from his sleep just in time to see a wild Rin jump from the floor to on the bed where he continued to roll until he was plopped in Mephistos lap. The elder brother sat there in shock at the suddenness of the boy being there.

"Nii-san you can't just barge into other people's rooms, especially if they are sleeping." Yukio scolded his older twin. Mephisto looked at the two boys who differed so much and not just in looks either. Their personalities were complete opposites too. Yukio being so serious, and then Rin so wild and full of energy and unrestricted; he could easily tell he took after their father. Yukio definitely took after his mother in looks, even the freckles he had. As far as he could tell Yukios looks are all he got from Yuri while Rin had gained her personality.

"You don't have to be so mean Yukio. I just wanted to wake up Mephy so we can go out and play," Rin pouted. The black haired boy grinned up at Mephisto.

"Will you go play games with me?" he asked joyfully. Mephisto couldn't help but to give in to the boy.

"Fine, fine just let me get dressed." Rin's happiness actually made him smile. It reminded him of when Shirou was younger and would get excited small things like movies or some silly song on the radio. Rin got up off the bed and stood next to his brother. He made sure his tail was hidden before he got out from under the blankets.

"Why aren't you dressed? I'm surprised your father hasn't gotten after you. Where is he anyway?" He needed to just sit down and talk about everything involving their past and their present.

"He went to work this morning," the brunette responded. Mephistos eyebrows went up in surprise. A mission? Who could have given him one of those? It was Mephisto who gave him his missions in the past and now a day he barely gets any jobs since he was taking care of Rin and Yukio.

"Now shoo I have to get dressed." Both the twins left, Rin giggled as he ran ahead of his brother. This news upset his plans but he could wait he guessed. He put on his white pants and a nice shirt. He went downstairs to find the other priests had made pancakes.

"Morning Mr. Faust, would you like some pancakes too?" It was then that Rin interrupted before he was.

"Of course he does, pancakes are awesome!" He giggled as he ran up to his older brother. Rin only went up to Mephistos waist. Even Yukio was slightly taller than his older twin.

"Why are you so tall?" he whined. He latched himself to the side of Mephistos pants and looked up. The taller one smirked.

"It's more the question of why are you so short." He barked out laughter as Rin poofed out his cheeks in anger. Everyone laughed along with their guest Rin tried to stomp on Mephistos feet but it didn't really do any damage since he was so small. They eventually calmed him down and was able to eat breakfast without a one sided fight breaking out at the table since Rin was too busy stuffing his face with food.


	5. Chapter 5

Well holy shit it's 2am right now but I am happy to say that I have finally finished writing this chapter. If it's any good in your guy' eyes I have no idea.

So yeah a couple warnings: There is non-canon character death. Just so you guys know since I know some people don't like that.

There is also a small hint/mention of the issue of abortion. It is a part that parallels what happens in canon anime!verse with Yuri. Just so you know.

Also this took so long for a couple reasons: I had writers block but then the lovely madtophat on tumblr helped me on my way through. Another reason is I picked up a second job that's from 6am to 10am and by the time I'm home at 10pm after my first job I would usually be pretty tired but I pushed through it!

Also there will be a small A/N at the end of the chapter also that explains things that show up throughout the fic

So yeah I hope I remembered everything I was going to say, please enjoy this fic. Love you guys!

Edit: I knew there was stuff I forgot!

The entire flashback is obviously not canon it is a group of events that I think could have led shirou to be the way he is. I am not going to get mad if you don't think that's how it happened, if anything I would love to hear other people's opinions on it.

**Also there is three more chapters, the final chapter will be released on Christmas day and will be the conclusion for this fic. Though I will continue to write other one shots and fics for this pairing. **

There will also be a surprise in the last chapter for you guys

Also you can find me on Tumblr at LokiPrinceOfIce and LokiTheIceKing :D

* * *

><p>Once all the necessary cleaning was done after breakfast the twins scurried off to his bedroom to do whatever it is they thought they were going to drag him off to do. He could be mischievous and convince them to play hide and seek, which he of course would win. The one thing he was sure about though was he didn't want to go back out in the snow with them again. He wasn't willing to take the chance of them teaming up on him with their cold little hands down the back of his jacket. He went up to his room and sat on the edge of the bed and sighed, deep in thought as to what to do to keep the youngsters entertained. And that was when he thought of it. A koori otoko* festival was in town this week and wondered why he didn't think of it sooner. After a snap of his fingers he was changed into weather appropriate clothing. Not a moment later there was a loud thud against his door, a sign that someone (he assumed it was Rin) tried to run through his door without realizing it was locked. He couldn't help but let a chuckle out as he heard the angry voice shout childlike vicinities. He waited a minute a minute before he decided that he had let Rin stew in his temper and unlocked the door with a click.<p>

It wasn't a moment later that the ruffled boy nearly fell through his doorway from what Mephisto assumed from leaning against the door to try and push it open.

"Why did ya lock the door you big meanie?" the grumpy child exclaimed. There was a red mark where Rin must have hit the door with first before the rest of his body had slammed into the door. Yukio still stood behind Rin in the hallway, the pair looked comical.

"Because it's my room and I didn't want people to just walk in you silly boy!" the demon huffed.

"Also if you are done being angry about things that aren't important what do you think about going down town to the festival since your dad has gone and left you two with me while he's at work." The look of excitement was instantly replaced the look of irritation on Rin's face and a small smiled worked its way onto Yukios. Mephisto cringed internally at saying the word dad. It was still weird to think of Shirou in such a way. Even though it's because of the twins that he and Shirou couldn't be together he couldn't hate them for that. Just like their birth it wasn't their fault. Mephisto still needed to have a serious conversation with Shirou though. It was a long overdue talk and they needed to have it before Mephisto could chicken out.

"Yes!" Rin exclaimed, eyes bright with happiness only a child could possess. Even Yukio had a real smile on his face and not one of his usual solemn ones. He pushed the two to their room where he made sure they picked out clothing that would keep them warm. The situation seemed abnormal to Mephisto since he interacted this way with his other siblings and their father never treated them in such a manner either. Basically lower class demons were given to care for them until each offspring was old enough to do things on its own. To have someone to do things beyond what is absolutely necessary was an odd notion. But it put a smile on his face to see the two run about in excitement. Once he thought them dressed correctly he grabbed his scarf from near the door and away they went.

There were a few slippery spots along the pathway due to old snow freezing underneath the freshly fallen snow. There were a few moments of when the little ones chucked snow at each other before Mephisto gave them a stern look and the two calmed down with the occasional attempt of one trying to push the other over. Soon the sun would be setting and the lanterns that lined the street would glow like faery lights. The demon looked down to see the boys' faces were lit up with pure happiness and excitement, their ears and noses tipped red from the cold. Many stalls were set up along the street sides, the lively chatter of customer and venders added to the cheerful atmosphere.

Once they were surrounded by the crowds Mephisto kept a close look at the two. All he needed was to need to hunt them down before they got hurt. They ran over to the watame stall and looked up at Mephisto expectedly.

"Fine, fine, fine but if I do this then you must listen to me the entire time we're here. Got that?" They nodded their heads in quick agreement. The older demon went up to the stall and ordered three.

"The total will be 243.78 yen**" Mephisto handed over the money and gave his brothers their sweets. It felt odd but just the simple gestures of family activity warmed the king of times heart.

"Now be good, or I won't take you anywhere again." The warning was stern but had a light undertone to it. They just seemed so happy he didn't want to ruin the fun.

"Let's go, let's go!" Rin's antics caused genuine laughter and a smile from Yukio. They continued down the street, the festival a few blocks long. Many of the stalls were selling Yakisoba, (which of course Mephisto had to buy some. Yum!) Ikayaki, Karumeyaki, (which he refused to buy the boys any of that, they were hyper enough) and Taiyaki. There were also a few games which included a ring toss for stuffed toys. He let the boys try a few times (and maybe used his magic a little to help them along) and by their last try they both had acquired two small toys. It had been a couple hours since they had arrived and it was due time for them to head home. As they reached the monastery fluffy snow started to fall. There were a few minutes where they all danced in the snow before they headed in.

"Now, now you need to undress your snow gear here at the door. You won't be tracking water through cause I'm not going to clean it up!" Soon coats, scarves, and mittens were being shed into a pile. The brothers of the monastery seemed to have already started dinner and a couple of them brought towels over and made sure the two little ones were dried off before they scampered off to the kitchen to help. He looked over and saw Shirou in the living room with paper work spread out over the table. He was still in his exorcist robes so Mephisto knew he hadn't been home long. He quietly walked over to the couch and sat down, keeping his silence as he watched over Shirou write out reports.

It occurred to him that something was up when the silence was held after Mephisto sat down next to him. Usually the principle would be loud and pushy to see what he was doing. He continued his work and acted like the other wasn't there in hopes he would get up and leave. He really didn't want to have the conversation that was looming somewhere in the future. He wasn't sure if he was ready to dig into old memories. And honestly he was scared. Hard to believe that he would be scared of something like this, how he used to be one of the Vatican's most brutal exorcist. And now faced with old emotions he cowered away like a small child. He gave a small jump as he felt a gloved hand cover his and he looked over.

"Shirou." It was said in a voice barely over a whisper, his old lovers brows brought together in sadness? Or was it pain and maybe regret? All the priest knew was it couldn't be avoided now, that this conversation was here and not leaving. He looked through the entry way to be sure they weren't going to be overheard. He turned back around and really looked at Mephisto. He looked older, not much and not enough that anyone else would notice. Shirou noticed for he once had ever bit of Mephisto memorized from their times of always being by each other.

"We should at least talk things over. Don't you remember how all this started, how we managed to pull this off and stay together?" There was a tremble in Mephistos voice, as if he feared Shirou was just going to say that he didn't remember, that none of it really mattered.

"Yes, I remember."

_It was back when Shirou had just joined the student body of True Cross Academy. He was fourteen. The priests and nuns were glad too for Shirou was cocky and tended to act out at the other children. Though they sent him off with the hopes that with an education and strict rules with stern teachers would straighten the boy out. _

_No one knew where Shirou had come from; he had been left on the steps of the abbey to be found by one of the nuns. They gave him the name Shirou for his blonde, almost white hair. Growing up was tough for him even with the nuns treating him well. A lot of the times the other kids would pick at him because he has light hair while the rest of the children had brown or black. As he grew older he became bitter of people as he watched as all the other children were picked by parents to go to loving homes. As he got older it became harder to control him. He would lash out at everyone around him. By the time he was ten the nuns where at the point where they didn't know what to do anymore. They did everything that was possible to try and make him feel welcome but it just didn't work. _

_Then one day the even that was to change Shirous life happened. He was out front of the monastery sweeping as punishment for breaking some of the other kids' toys. He remembers, it was two weeks after his thirteenth birthday. He was bored out of his mind until he heard a scream. He looked back at the church behind him to see if anyone else had heard it. When no one came running he dropped the broom to go check it out. He ran out and around the street corner to see a woman there. She was being attacked but the thing was he couldn't see anything there, but it was obviously there was an attack. She had blood all over her blouse and when she ran she limped. He gave no thought as to what was really going on and chased in the direction she was running to see if the culprit was still nearby. _

_It was then that something slammed into him, the force knocking all the air out of him as he hit the ground. A heavy weight on top of him proved that there was something there, but he had no clue. Not until there was a sharp pain as claws pierced through his side and suddenly there was a terrible stench and a grotesque dog like creature stood above him. Its face was nearly hallowed out; whatever of its flesh was left was in shreds. It dug its claws in deeper and Shirou screamed out in pain. He had no clue on how to defend himself since any part where one would usually grab looked like it was almost rotted off this creatures' body. It was getting harder to breathe and then suddenly the weight was lifted and a robed man had thrown the monster off of him a good distance. Then there was gun fire and the zombie dog violently twitched before it fell to the ground. Shirou tried to roll over to get a better look at whatever attacked him but the searing pain in his side made him cringe and he stopped. The man in what looked like some sort of priests robe came over and gently pressed onto the wound. Shirou hissed out in pain and the man grimaced. _

"_I'm going to have to peel away at your shirt to get a better look." His voice was serious but with an underlying tone of concern. He started to pull away at the bits of fabric until the wound was in clear view. It hadn't gone deep enough to where it would damage anything organs but it had messed up the muscles in his side pretty bad. The man had brought forth bandages and other medical supply from what Shirou assumed was a bag out of his sight. He flinched as medicine was applied to the gashes as the man quietly worked. Once everything was bandaged up Shirou asked one of the many questions he had in mind._

"_What was that thing?" It was a simple question and he hoped for a straight answer. Whatever that was it obviously not normal. Even at the age of thirteen he knew that, but the robed man continued the rest of his examination before he stood and packed up his things. He rummaged through his satchel before he produced a syringe and with a quick movement of his arm the needle was jabbed into Shirous arm. _

"_Sorry kid but it's procedure." Already the all the sounds around him wavered and were unclear. He didn't even get the chance to say anymore before he was swooped up off the ground and carried back to the church. The nuns were there in the courtyard and when Shirou was in sight the charged like a group of hens and surrounded the unknown man. The entirety of the conversation was broken up into bits and pieces in Shirous ears._

"_He seemed to have… hit by a car… did all I could with…doesn't look like too much damage." Lies that left the strangers mouth and the nuns ate it all up with worried whispers. _

"_Boy never listens… playing in the street, tsk tsk… lets get him to bed… thank you so much, sir…"And that was the last thing the boy had heard before he passed out into a deep slumber._

_He was awoken by the loud slide of the window being opened. He sat up slowly and saw that he was in one of the sick rooms. He took a shallow breath to see if there would be any searing pain but what surprised him was there was only a dull throb beneath the bandages. _

"_Ye should count yourself lucky boy. Running about and gettin hit by a car. Haven't we taught you better?" It was Sister Tabatha who had come over from Ireland to Japan and had become one of the orphanages care takers. She was strict when needed but she genuinely cared about them. _

"_Ye also lucky that man was there to help ye. Probably would 'ave died there. I will be gettin' your breakfast now, so sit put." She left him there, the cool breeze coming through the window. He kicked off the blankets he has been tucked into and stretched. The pain he thought was going to be there didn't appear; instead it just felt like the muscles were sore. Whatever that man had done made him weary and the fact he lied about what had happened. A person couldn't heal up that fast, not a wound from what looked like a dead dog. _

_It was then that he smelt an earthy smell and looked up. There in his window was a small green creature with claws, horns, and a tail. Shirou tensed, ready to jump up and run for help. But the monster seemed calm and no hints of it wanting to attack. It jumped down to the floor and waddled over to the side of the bed. The young boy made sure to keep all body parts away from the edge of the bed just in case this thing decided it wanted a snack. He watched it until he realized that it wasn't the only one in the room. What looked like small coal dust motes floated throughout the air. He found that he could move them around with a quick huff of breath. They seemed harmless enough so he poked one. It disappeared in a poof of smoke and it made Shirou jump. He wasn't sure if he had hit his head and that maybe he really had just been hit by a car and he imagined everything. But this was one extreme hallucination if he was seeing, smelling, and touching these things. He didn't have any more time to think about it before Sister Tabatha came back into the room with a tray the held a plate of tamagoyaki. Okay so maybe there was perks of this situation. It wasn't often that kids got individual meals since they tried to give everyone the same thing and amount so it would be fair to all the kids. She went about the room and made sure things were tidy but the weird thing was she wasn't reacting to the creatures in the room which raised worry in Shirous mind. Maybe he was damaged or even crazy. Because if she couldn't see them then they mustn't be real right? Unless he was different? A freak, another thing to add to the list that other people didn't like about him. She soon left the room saying she would be back later for his dishes. _

_Soon almost a year passed by. Shirou had never said anything about those weird things that he saw. For the most part they were harmless and the most they would do is play small tricks. Shirou still lashed out at people but now it was for a different reason. He could see things they couldn't, he was different beyond what they understood. And for that he was angry. He could never make these __**things **__go away. He knew it wasn't their fault but it didn't stop him from being angry at them._

_One day a letter arrived with an invitation. The words True Cross Academy was written across the envelope in curvy letters. It had already been opened and read by the nuns but they had given it to him._

"_We can't make you go but it can be a big opportunity for you." As Shirou read through all the pamphlets that they had somehow shoved into this one envelope. He handed it back to one of the Sisters._

"_I will think about it." This could be a good chance for him. Maybe he could find others like him or maybe try and make friends? Though it was a scary thought. As many times as he thought of just running away, actually leaving the abbey was scary. To go to a place he wasn't familiar with for long periods of time. As much attitude and bravado he shows off he's still a kid, one that feels betrayed and lonely because he never knew who his parents were, or why they left him. As days go on by and the other kids get adopted he's left here to watch after the new arrivals. _

_He went up to his room and threw himself onto his corner bed. He sighed and just laid there. Did he really want to leave the place he's lived the last fourteen years? _

_He jerked awake to find that someone had tucked him under the blankets, which had meant he had fallen asleep without meaning to. He rolled over and came face to face with one of the younger kids, some girl he didn't know the name of. _

"_What do you want kid?" His tone was meant to scorn and push away, a glare along with it. What came as a surprise it did not deter the girl at all, she just puffed her cheeks up and stuck her tongue out._

"_Don't be so mean and maybe you would have friends you jerk." It was the first time any of the others had actually stood up to him. _

"_Anyway Sister Tabatha wants to talk to you." She turned on her heals and stalked off, signs of irritation in her step. _

"_Weird ass girl…" He rolled out of bed and went to where the nuns congregated in the morning. He knocked before he heard an answer confirming that he could enter. They all sat together around their table and looked at him expectedly._

"_So boy, did ye decide what ye wanted?" Sister Tabatha asked. Her face was open, there was no hidden intent there. He didn't know about the other Sisters but he knew Sister Tabatha actually cared about what he thought. _

"_Yeah, I want to go." There those simple words. At the time he didn't think they were the decision that would change his life forever._

_It would be a few months before the new school year would start. The experience was definitely a different one. All the other children were curious, quite a few came up and asked if he was really leaving. The priest had even made an announcement about Shirou going during the next Sunday mass. Everyone was excited for him, but under the surface the teen still felt unease. The time soon passed and it was time for him to leave the abbey. All the nuns promised they would try to write at least once every couple weeks. A couple even cried, which surprised Shirou a lot since he had thought most of them hated him. He was dropped off at the train station and he was on his way. He had never even left this town to __**visit**__ other places, it was hard to imagine he was going to live in another place where the kids would be around his age. _

_It was about half a day's ride there. Shirou was too nervous to even try and sleep. He didn't really understand why he felt nervous, it was just new people right? Nothing he should worry about. The scenery on the way outside the window was beautiful though. The ride went smoothly and arrived right as the sun started to set. With only having to carry a single suitcase since they sent the small amount of belongings he did have to the school a couple days before he had departed Shirou set off from the train station towards the school. He could see kids with their parents walk the same direction he was going. His chest clenched as he thought about how he would never have parents that would be there for school activities, or hug him goodbye. There was a burning sensation at the back of his eyes and he stopped to press his hands against his face to stop any tears from falling. He wasn't a wimpy ass kid, crying was acceptable. He squared his shoulders and continued to his destination. There was a pile where the students would leave their luggage to be taken up to their dorm rooms while they were in the opening ceremonies. _

_The campus was huge and if it wasn't for the fact there was a large group of people to follow Shirou would have gotten lost. All the first years were led into one area and once everyone was situated an older man stood at a pedestal and droned on with his speech. It was something to be expected of any school speech; these are the rules, dress code, and blah blah blah blah. Shirou didn't really listen to him and by the when it was time to finally leave he was half asleep. Everyone made their way back to the dorms and by the time he made it to the room he was staying in his roommate was already there. The boy was about five foot five, had light brown hair, and was of average build but still had some slight baby fat. When he turned around Shirou was in for a surprise. His roommate had light skin and grey eyes. Shirou could immediately tell that this boy was half American, half Japanese and because of that he had a feeling that they could be friends due to the fact they could bond over not looking like the average Japanese person. _

"_Hello, my name is Ken Sato." He stuck his hand out in gesture of welcome and Shirou took it._

"_My name is Shirou Fujimoto. It's nice to meet ya." They then launched into conversation about small things in their lives and soon it was like they had been friends for years. They talked until it was time for sleep. Once in bed Shirou laid their and couldn't help but smile to himself. So this decision has been a good one so far. He was glad he made it. _

_And so it began. Shirou got used to having to get up early for classes but he found that he actually liked it here. He had fun and through Ken he was able to make a small group of friends. As weeks went by Shirou settled into school life. Of course he would occasionally skip class or get into "debates" with the teachers that would get him sent to the office but since arriving he felt like he fit in a bit more and he wasn't so angry all the time. _

_He came to find that he was actually good at most of his studies, even enjoyed a few. With whatever he didn't understand his friends were happy to help. _

_As promised every couple weeks a letter came from the abbey to ask how he was doing. They were happy to hear of his progress in both his studies and his social interactions. There were even a few letters from the other kids which had really surprised him, alongside with some of the care packages that would come occasionally. _

_It seemed here he didn't see the weird creatures. So many it had been stress and his accident that caused those things? And the smells and such were just things his mind had made up to make things connect. With that being the case it put Shirous mind at rest._

_It was a couple weeks later that it happened. The one moment that would change everything from the nice, peaceful life Shirou had built around him at school that would lead down the path to becoming an exorcist. _

_The fall weather was then coming to an end and winter was sweeping its way into their school. The town itself was holding fall festivals which most of the students would go down to after classes would let out. Who wouldn't when it's the only time the school would let you out after bed hours without punishment. It was Ken, Shirou, and a few others of their friends were trying to win a koi fish instead of the small goldfish that were a lot easier to win. They were having a lot of fun just joking around and teasing each other about how bad they were at the game. There was laughter, the sound of dogs barking, and the chatter of all the people all around but it still wasn't loud enough to cover up the horrifying sound of something roaring. No one else started to panic but Shirou knew for sure that he had heard something. He broke away from the group without saying anything. He really didn't want them to think he was crazy if he would ask if they had heard anything. _

_He made it to the edges of the tents when he saw it. It was giant and seemed to have multiple heads. Just like the creepy dog it looked like it was made of decay. But no one else was panicking, which freaked Shirou out because he just couldn't go up to someone and say there's some weird monster less than fifty feet away. No one would believe him because they couldn't see it. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked over to find the worried face of Ken._

"_Why'd ya run off Shirou?" Shirou couldn't tell him the truth, which hurt because he's never lied to any of his friends about anything. _

"_I thought I saw someone I knew, but I guess not." He hoped that his best friend couldn't tell he was lying because he felt terrible enough and being caught in a lie would make it a lot worse. _

"_Oh! Why didn't you just say so! I could help ya find them!" Shirou had been watching as the creature moved along the edges of the crowd when he accidently made eye contact with it. The thing lurched forward and seemed to break some kind of barrier and the power lines went down. With the electricity out everyone started to scream. Shirous heart was pounding in his chest as he started to run and shout._

"_This way!" He grasped at Kens elbow and pulled him through the dispersing crowd. There were people freaking out everywhere as stalls are pushed out of the way by the monster. They were running as fast as they could with Ken asking about what was happening. People were tripping all over the place to just get out of the area and then it happens. Shirou feels his grip on Kens arm slip, he hears the thud as his friend falls and suddenly everything slowed down. He could feel his heart beat race in his ears, the blood pumping through him, fear laced every thought. He turned around as fast as he could but it was too late, whatever that thing was had caught up, it's large hand grabbed Kens body and crushed down. A scream ripped itself from Shirou as he started to grab whatever was near him and throw it at the monster. It hit it in what he assumed was its face and lifted both its arms to stop the debris from lodging in its skin. _

_Soon guns were going off and the beast flinched. What looked like a bomb was thrown in amongst the bullets and Shirou panicked. He drove in to pull Ken away from the gun fight and he was relieved to see that he was still breathing even if barely so. Whatever was in that grenade was liquid and when it hit the creature it screamed in pain as its skin started to melt off. More guns were fired and this monster that had destroyed so much fell and melted down to nothing. _

_Men and women in black coats swarmed in and immediately Shirou recognized those black coats. It was the same black coat that man wore over a year ago. The man that fixed his wounds after his "car crash". The area was now flooded with them. They were helping people out from underneath fallen stalls. He looked down at Ken. His body was covered in blood. He heard someone approach and looked up and surprise filled his face. It was that man, the one who was there on that day over a year ago. He didn't know what had come over him. One moment he was down on the ground next to Ken and the next he was standing, his fist colliding with this strangers jaw. The man swore as he rubbed where he got hit, other robe clad people restrained Shirou._

"_What was that for you little punk? We just saved your life." Tired eyes looked down at Shirou and the boy knew he shouldn't be angry at this person, someone he didn't even know the name of. _

"_Why didn't you tell me!? Last year after I was attacked by that THING! I started to see weird monsters and I had no idea what was going on, you just took me back to the church and LIED!" All the fear and anger that had built up over the last year just let out in those words. A moment of confusion crosses the man's eyes before there was recognition. The others let him go so they could pick up Ken onto a stretcher. Shirou gave one last silent glance before he followed the group of people carrying his friend to an ambulance. _

_Ken Sato was later pronounced dead from a crushed lung and internal bleeding. The doctors gave their apologize, saying they did everything that they thought would save him. After he was told the news he became silent. He wouldn't eat or drink anything and a silent rage started to build from within. _

_It rained on the day of the funeral, but that didn't stop the large groups of people that showed up for it. It had to been at least a couple hundred people. He would learn that day the people who had taken down the creature were exorcists. They gave their condolences and an offer. They said there's a school for people who wish to fight these creatures, these __**demons**__ and to protect people. It only took Shirou a few moments to consider the decision before he said yes. They gave him an envelope with all the information that he would need. They soon departed but Shirou stood there in the rain next to the newly made grave plot. He bowed his head and he prayed. It had been a really long time since he had prayed but there in that spot he swore to God himself that he wouldn't let Kens death be in vain. _

_He started the exorcist classes the next day along with his normal classes. The special key they had given him led into a spacious hallway with many arched windows. He went down the hall until he found the classroom that was to hold intro to demonology. When he walked in there was a few other students but no teacher. He was a good ten minutes early before the class was to start. He sat down the furthest away from the other students and none of them approached him in any kind of welcome. _

'_Good,' he thought. He really didn't want to deal with people, or at least not yet. Even his friends from True Cross understood only partly. They didn't see the terrible fiend that had crushed Ken, they didn't feel the guilt that sat in his heart because he wasn't able to save him._

_A short stocky man with shaven hair was their teacher for demonology class. It started out as any other class would that was mostly text book reading and Shirou didn't mind. It was a distraction and he welcomed that. They soon moved on to their next class which was to see if they would fit in the tamer meister category. Each student was given a slip of paper with a summoning circle on it and were told to speak the first words that came to mind while they pressed blood upon the paper. Two students went before Shirou did and only one of them was able to summon a salamander with flames that flickered across it's body about the size of a dog. It was then Shirous turn and he honestly couldn't tell anyone where the words had come from at all._

"_I call upon you in my time of need for I need your trust and loyalty to help me fight this battle." There was a flash of light and there appeared to be what looked like a cat, except for the fact it had two tails and a set of horns upon its head. It stared up at him, its wild green eyes unblinking. But Shirou held his ground and kept the demons gaze. The whole room was still to see if the demon would attack or not. It took a step forward and the tension grew in the air until it approached Shirou and started to rub its head against his leg._

"_It seems you have summoned a Sith familiar, congratulations!" Everyone turned to face the classrooms newly acquired quest. There stood a tall man, probably over six feet tall with obnoxious pink tights, puffed up shorts, waist coat, top hat, and to finish off the offensive outfit a cape. The first thing through Shirous mind was that this man looked like a clown and it creeped him out. _

"_Professor Faust! It is good to see you." Shirou seemed to be the only one shocked that this absurd man could be the teacher of anything. And before he knew what he was saying it had already left his mouth._

"_You look like a clown." There were gasps from the other students and the teacher, maybe a few supressed giggles mixed in the bunch. The tall man turned to him and did the one thing he didn't expect. He laughed. Who in their right mind laughs after someone insults them. A huge grin spread across his face, his eyes lit up._

"_And you must be the infamous Shirou Fujimoto, the boy who punched one of the rescue squad exorcists." Shirous ears flushed red in anger and embarrassment as that night was brought back up. The rest of the class didn't need to know why he did such._

"_What's it to you?" This guy was pissing him off. Instead of getting the answer he asked for the conversation was steered elsewhere. The demon he had summoned had now curled itself around one of his legs._

"_You are lucky to have summoned such a familiar as this. They are loyal and quite powerful, yet they can also be quite gentle and comforting in a person's time of need." The bright green eyes that watched him as Faust spoke were eerie and made Shirou uncomfortable .It was then that Faust leaned over and patted Shirou on the head and the boy flinched back._

"_Be good now, I don't think any more reports of you beating on the teachers or exorcists." With that statement the odd teacher turned on his heel and with the swish of that gaudy cloak left the classroom. He turned around and everyone was staring at him with round eyes. _

'_Great,' he thought. Now they probably think he's some crazy kid. They finished up the class with only one other person being able to summon, which turned out to be a little plant man. He had decided to not rip up his summoning circle and to allow his new familiar to walk with him to the rest of his classes and then back to his dorm. Though he had no idea what its name was only that it was a Sith demon. That night as got ready for bed he thought about all of what happened today. So much was hidden within a thin veil, between Assiah and Gehenna._

_When he later learned that Faust was somehow the teacher for the physical education aspect of the cram school he nearly fell over in laughter. That stick figure of a clown as a P.E. teacher? Ha! He later regret this assumption when after a week or so of class they started to learn to spar and he found that the man's body had a lot more force behind his punches and kicks than what was shown muscle wise._

_As weeks turned to months Shirou continued his double life, hiding the side filled with nightmarish creatures from his friends of the human world. Though he eventually locked himself away in his room most of the time for his studies. He had no distractions for he had requested that his spot for a roommate be left open. It would just feel wrong to replace all of where Ken's belongings used to lay. What he lacked in intelligence he made up with determination, keeping in mind the promise he had made to the Holy Father on the day of Kens funeral. He would stop something like that from happening again._

_He lived his life this way from now on. The months would pass and he would better himself in any way possible for all his classes. His teachers' praises did not matter to him, only thing he cared about was his goal. _

_Weirdly enough he seemed to keep running into that Faust all over the place as time went on. It was if he would follow him around, which seemed impossible because Shirou knows the man was sent on missions quite often by the Vatican. _

_Soon a year of school had passed, all the students who had joined the cram school had become Exwires and were on their way to becoming exorcists. Shirou had reached second in his class under one of the female students. _

_Summer passed without much incident. The younger kids were actually excited to see him home along with all the nuns. They threw a small welcoming party and even though Shirou appreciated it the entire situation was still a little odd. He was amongst normal people, people who didn't see demons or know they existed, those who were unaware of the invisible war going on right in their backyard. Of course when they asked all about how school was he had to use half-truths to conceal the lessons they could never know about. _

_He was now fifth teen and he discovered something amazing: girls. Especially the ones that wore the short skirts and tight blouses. The nuns would give him a look and a tsk whenever they found him talking to some girl or another at the front gate. He would give the girls a sheepish smile before he had to run off and do what the nuns had told him to do before he gotten distracted. _

_That didn't mean he stopped his studies. At night he would still scour over his demonology books and practice his aria chants, he would sneak out at night to practice fighting with a sword, he let his familiar roam freely since it followed his commands and was docile unless in battle against another demon. Guns on the other hand were things he was not able to practice but he had a good aim so he was good on that. He still wasn't really sure what he wanted to be a meister in. He knew he could choose two but he felt like knowing all five categories was something every exorcist should know. Always have a back-up plan in case one form of weapon wasn't working. _

_The rest of the summer continued to be secret training of exorcist skills, chasing after skirts, and the silly chores the nuns thought were necessary. And soon his second year of high school arrived and everyone was bustling about the campus again. Old friends who hadn't been able to see each other embraced in giant groups. When Shirou finally found his friends he noticed that every single one of them had a growth spurt. He himself had grown at least a couple inches. What they all noticed was how all the girls had filled out in their school uniforms and being the immature teenage boys they were they whistled as they all walked by. Some of the girls waved with a bounce in their step while the others hid behind hands and grumbled about how stupid boys were. The groups of students started to disperse as the time for classes ticked closer. Shirou was on his way to his when he felt something run into his legs. He looked down and there was a white shaggy dog with a pink bow with white polka dots tied around its neck. What looked like a letter was in his mouth._

"_What the hell?" Shirou questioned aloud. The dog nudged at his foot again. The teen furrowed his brows._

"_What? You want me to take the letter?" The canine gave a nod of his head and Shirou bent down and took the letter from the dog's mouth. It had ridiculous curly hand writing on the front that he could barely recognize as his own name. He looked back down to try and figured out why a dog had brought him a letter but the small animal had disappeared. The letter would have to wait until after his class because he was going to be late for maths. _

_He was fidgety throughout the class and nearly ran out of the room to open the envelope. Inside was a single piece of paper that said the following:_

_Dear Shirou,_

_I hope you enjoyed your summer. But now it is time for business. You have passed your Exwires training and exam, you now must start the next steps to becoming an exorcist. It seems the cram school has taken a special interest in you and have assigned me to help further your education and skills. It is not often the school does this, so feel honoured. Once your day classes are finished meet me at the cram school in room 651 for the start of your lessons. See you soon! _

_Sincerely Johan Faust the Fifth _

_Special training? With Faust? He stared down at the paper in disbelief. Another question is why did the school want to put him through special training? He wasn't even the best in his classes, he just worked a bit harder to keep up with the better students. Or was this some sort of cruel joke being pulled by Faust. No matter what way he looked it the situation it was going to be weird._

_He anxiously made his way through the rest of the classes that day, stuck between curiosity as to what they wanted him to do differently than the other students and scared as to what Faust was planning to do for training. Once his classes were finished he rushed to find a door to use the magic key to the cram school. Safely through the door he made his way down the hall he looked for the room._

"_Okay… 645… 647…649…651. Alright let's do this." He had stopped in front of the door but hesitated. He didn't know what to expect and after all the things he had learned about and fought against going through a door into a classroom frightened him pretty bad at the moment. Before he could chicken out and run Faust was there in the open doorway towering over him. That creepy grin was plastered across his face._

"_You weren't going to leave before we got started, were you?" Shirou never really got used to how creepy Faust was sometimes. There was something that was just off about the man and it wasn't just those wacky clothes he would wear. But today he seemed to be dressed somewhat normal suit. Still all white but no cape, top hat, or terrible stripped stockings. Without the odd clothing it was now easier to see that the teacher was extremely slender and a hair colour that would stand out in any crowd, especially that curl. He also noticed the man always looked like he never slept but he is always attentive to everything around him. _

"_Pffhhhttt, no I don't run from challenges." This pulled a laugh out of the tall man, his face bunched up in laughter lines. _

"_Only difference in you in seems is your height. You're still cocky as ever. Self-confidence can be a good thing and a bad thing. Too much of it causes a person to underestimate the strength of his enemies, while too little causes hesitation and will get you or your teammates killed. But just enough serves its purpose and you are able to do things without too much fear in your step." At this point the teacher had leaned up against the desk and looked at Shirou expectedly as if the teen was supposed to have a response to his speech. There were a few moments of silence where P.E. instructor stared at him intently before he suddenly disappeared and a shock of pain exploded from his side. The purple haired man reappeared beside him that smirk on his face again._

"_Rule number one: Always pay attention to your surroundings, even if you are in a situation where you are familiar with the people and location you should always be aware. You may never know if there may be a traitor amongst your group. You must learn to never really trust anyone." Cinnamon coloured eyes glared up into green ones as he grasped his side. _

"_Then why should I trust you?" He could hardly believe that they would hire this man as a teacher, what he did was uncalled for. _

"_Good boy, already learning." Faust walked a few feet before he plopped down onto one of the desks._

"_And something you should know Johann Faust V is not my real name. The information I am about to tell you is known by very few, but for these lessons to work you must trust me a little so I'll give you this. The name is Mephisto Pheles." He gave a little bow and a flourish of his hand with his reintroduction. _

"_Though this is information that I must ask you not to spread, jå?" Shirou gave a short nod though how could he trust someone that was basically lying to almost everyone just about something as simple as his name. What else would he be hiding?_

"_Second rule: Always carry a weapon of some sorts. Even if it's some puny little knife you children tend to carry around, though an exorcist's weapon would be more efficient. Memorize your verses; carry a sword or gun that is easy to access. Of course a bit of medical training would be helpful also. Understand?" Shirou nodded again before Mephisto clapped his hands together and smiled._

"_Now we continue training outside!" His teacher pulled out a key and slipped it within the lock of the door and when it swung open an open field that Shirou knew was nowhere on or near the school grounds._

"_This is where all your training will be done. You will not be able to access this area without me for it is quite a distance from the school and I'm not giving you my key." With one of those creepy chuckles Mephisto turned to Shirou._

"_So Fujimoto, are you ready?" They trained as the afternoon went and only went back through the shack door to return to the school after the sun had set. Mephisto barely looked like he was touched, his white suit clean of any stains while Shirou looked like he has been dragged to hell and back. He was soaked with sweat and he could feel bruises forming where he had taken hits, he hurt from head to toe. _

"_You will get used to it. In real battle there is no time out to rest; one must keep going for it's a difference between life and death." The training went on for another couple months, eventually Shirou went home with less and less bruises. His aim with a gun improved, his stance with a sword solid, the memorization of holy scripture as easy as breathing. He would even train with Daisuke***, his familiar, in his fights against Mephisto. After training one day Shirou just had to ask._

"_Why was I the only one chosen for this?" There had been other great students who did better than he in his classes, so why choose him? Mephisto didn't even look over at him when he answered. _

"_Because you were the only student that looked like you could excel in all your studies. Yes, there were other students who did better than you in specific classes, but you seemed to be the only one that if given the proper training could better themselves in everything they did. The other students will be able to rise in ranks for their specific talent, though you have a chance to do so in all aspects of being an exorcist. But only with the training you have been receiving is that possible, for if you had continued to study with the others you wouldn't be able to do what you can now. Even you must admit without a push from someone else you can be a lazy boy." There was that smirk on Mephistos face again, the looked he got when he found something amusing that only he knew about. They walked the rest of the way in silence and went their separate ways when the time came. Shirou continued to think about what Mephisto had said as he readied himself for bed. _

_The training went on for months, soon Shirou was integrated into actual missions where he was taught about team work. At this point in time Shirou had learned to work with people but to not give 100 percent of his trust. He remembered those first few beginning lessons and hearing stories of exorcists who go rouge and try to use demons to gain power._

_As time went on, Shirou became an exorcist and slowly started to rise in rank amongst the others. By age eighteen he had become a meister in aria, dragoon, and tamer. It was considered unusual for an exorcist to have more than two meisters but Shirou was good enough at what he did no one questioned it. _

_A sort of friend ship had formed between Shirou and Mephisto over the three years of training which raised questions from other exorcists._

"_How do you even befriend a guy like that?"… "He has never had friends before so how did you do it?"… "Isn't it weird that your friends with a guy that dresses like that?" All questions that really didn't have answers, all he knew it had just happened, snuck up on him like shadows at dawn. It was quite frequent that they went on missions together because they knew each other's fighting skills well. He had left behind True Cross Academy and entered the dangerous world of fighting demons, most of the time alone unless the orders specifically said it was a team effort. _

_As time passed Shirou started to notice his sight wasn't as strong as it was when he was younger. He grumbled about having to go to an eye medic to get glasses, two weeks later he wore circle lenses and even though he didn't like having to wear them he didn't complain. _

_The first time he picked up a pack of smokes he was twenty and Mephisto have given him a disapproving look. Shirou had teased him about it asking if he was getting a soft spot for him but the older exorcist claimed it was because they smelt terrible and that were bad for one's health. Another year passed and Shirou had mastered Medic and Knight, completing all meisters. The fact it had never been done before attracted the praise of many people, but Shirou wasn't one to accept it. He hadn't forgotten the reason he started out as an exorcist. It wasn't as painful was it was six years ago but he still prayed to God asking if Ken was being taken care of and once a year stopped at Kens grave to have a few words with him and leave flowers. Mephisto never asked to go along with him on those days because he knew Shirou would have wanted to go by himself. _

_The day that would make another huge impact on his life soon arrived. Shirous twenty first birthday had passed about a month before and things had settled down again into its normal routine. It had been a while back that Shirou had discovered that Mephisto had lived on campus of the school unlike a lot of the teachers who had houses elsewhere. Shirou really hated filling out the reports for missions so he usually would try and get Mephisto to do it so he had gone over to his house to pester him about it when he walked in on a scene that made him go through several emotions within a ten second period._

_There was Mephisto it what looked like his underwear and without meaning to he took in everything about his body. Porcelain, hairless skin with lean muscles, and then a __**tail**__, the first set of emotion caused Shirous face to turn bright pink. But then there was a anger building within his chest as he stared at that tail, and Mephisto stared back in shock that Shirou was standing there in the doorway._

"_Shirou, I know what you may be thinking but you mustn't freak out. I can explain." There was no fear in his voice or eyes, Shirou couldn't really tell what Mephisto was feeling at that moment but he did know that he himself felt anger… betrayal. This man… no this __**demon **__had been lying to him this whole. _

"_You lied to me." Shirous voice did not shake but beneath there was an anger that had never entered the young man's voice before, not even when Ken had died. This person he __**thought he could trust **__was just probably a false persona. For the first time in years he had no idea what to do. _

"_The Vatican knows, Shirou I'm on the exorcist's side. This I swear, and you know that when a demon swears to something they mean it. You know this. Do you think after all these years of fighting to protect humans I would betray you?" Emotions battled inside Shirou as he listened to Mephisto. If what the demon said was true… but wait he was a __**demon**__ and demons were tricksters. _

"_I don't know if I can trust you anymore. Not only are you something that I despise, you lied to me for years." Shirou turned and ran out the door and didn't see the broken look upon Mephistos face. Shirou avoided Mephisto for months and only when the Vatican paired him up with the demon for missions did they see each other, though that weird dog would show up where he was staying at least once a week to follow him around. When they were on missions Shirou was completely serious about everything, only speaking when words were needed and once the mission was complete and the paperwork done he would leave right away. Mephisto never tried to initiate conversation about that day in his home. He knew it would bring up bitter anger and pain. Shirou noticed now that Mephisto tended to let his tail out more often though it wasn't far from his body as if he feared someone would grab it. The young man didn't know if Mephisto did this to anger him for some stupid reason or that now the cat was out of the bag he just felt more comfortable with letting it out of hiding. It had almost a year since the coming out incident and they were on a mission to find a carnivorous plant demon that had taken over a small village. It had taken plant in the centre of the village so the simple solution to kill it was to burn the building its body was in and the roots would shrivel up along with it. Thing is things in life are never simple. The demon had taken a hostage so that means they would have to go in and save the women it had taken first. Shirou summoned Daisuke to help them fight off any plant tendrils it may grow during the fight. A good hour later they finally managed to pull the women out and hand her over to her family before throwing some holy water on it and then setting the house on fire. The town was so grateful they insisted that the two exorcists stay the night and join them in a small feast of celebration. They were so excited and anything that delays having to do paperwork was a great idea to Shirou. The excitement of everyone around him was something he hadn't seen in a long while since a lot of the exorcists seemed to look solemn most of the time. The two were offered a room to stay in for the night and the two graciously accepted. _

_The awkward thing was there was only one bed, meaning they would have to share. Shirou found out a couple things that night: One, Mephisto spent way too much time to get ready for bed and Shirou knew the others sleeping schedule and the fact he didn't sleep much at all. He told him point blank that if he thought of staying up late and keeping him from sleeping then he should think again. Second thing he learned that night: Don't EVER pull on a demons tail. It obviously makes them irritated which he learned after he gave into the temptation as Mephisto readied himself in polka dot pjs. A slap across the face and a glare later Shirou ended up sleeping on the ground with a pillow and blanket. That was the moment where things sorta went back to the way it was before. Shirou still felt betrayed because Mephisto didn't tell him the truth. They slowly made their way back into the routine where Shirou was a snarky asshole and Mephisto talked like he knew more than he was letting on. Except there was one difference between then and now: Shirou had started to develop something for Mephisto. He would lay awake at night and think about it. It couldn't seriously be actual feelings, maybe it was lust. He was able to take care of those type of problems before but it was usually to babes in short skirted sailor outfits with luscious curves. But he has never had that type of attracted to a man before. It wasn't something that was really talked about since he was raised in a church and he was honestly confused about these feelings. He couldn't tell Mephisto that would be ridiculous and he would probably laugh at him and say emotions were just human weaknesses. _

_It was Christmas eve and Shirou was over at Mephistos drinking some wine that the demon insisted he try, both of them sitting by the hearth in his living room. Mephisto had once again gone overboard with Christmas decorations ever since found out about the type of things humans did for the holiday. After just a single glass of wine Shirou was tipsy, his tongue started to loosen._

"_What the hell…" he hiccupped and slurred before he continued the train wreck of his thoughts._

"_Kind of wine is this strong?" Shirous cheeks and nose were tinged pink from the alcohol and Mephisto couldn't help but laugh._

"_Shirou-kun it seems you can't hold your alcohol well." He sat relaxed in his chair as he watched Shirou had a fit of hiccups._

"_Nah, beer is good *hic* enough for me." His eyes were glassy, his glasses had slipped to the end of his nose and he seemed to not know what to do with his hands. Mephisto barked out a short spout of laughter._

"_You mean that piss poor excuse for alcohol? Shirou I would think you would have better tastes." This entire situation was just weird. The older exorcist looked at him in amusement and sighed._

"_I think it is time that you went sleep you silly man." Shirous comrade stood up and went over to pick up the young exorcist off the ground. With Shirou only weighing about 136 pounds it wasn't too difficult. The bespeckled man stumbled against Mephisto and just laid his head there on his chest. This caused the demon to actually blush which was extremely unusual. _

"_Shirou, can you walk by yourself? Or will I have to carry you over my shoulder?" Shirou grumbled something under his breath but not even Mephistos ears could pick up on it. He acted as a guide and pushed Shirou along while getting his feet stepped on. They made it to the door when Shirou pulled on his shirt._

"_Wait, we're *hic* under the mistletoe," he stated. Mephisto looked up and sure enough there the little plant hung from the doorframe. The sound of hiccups brought his attention back down to Shirou who now seemed to have sobered up a bit and his eyes were focused. With a tug Shirou pulled Mephisto down and kissed him. Mephisto had a moment of shock but the hand that was quickly making its way down his spine kicked his hormones in gear. Shirou felt a warmth going through him and it wasn't the alcohol. Mephistos mouth tasted like the wine and a under taste of something sweet, perhaps cotton candy. It had been a simple kiss, barely any tongue at all but it had sent his body crazy. He pulled away and looked up at the taller ones face. It was hard to believe but Mephistos face was flushed pink, in all the years Shirou had known him he had never seen the demon blush. Then realized his hands were also still on Mephistos ass. He snatched them away for he couldn't believe he really just did that._

"_Oh you fool it's too late now." It was as if Shirou had broken some sort of spell and all restraint was forgotten. Lips were soon attached to the humans neck, Mephistos beard tickled at his skin which caused Shirou to blurt out a giggle that is until the demon took a nip at the underside of the others jaw and it turned into a moan ending with a hiccup. Mephisto snorted out laughter, the warm breath contrasting with the wet skin of Shirous neck. _

"_Oh Mr. Fujimoto I am going to have to ask that you continue what you were doing with your hands there," he purred into the blonde ones ear. Shirous mind seemed to be scattered, the glass of wine in his system and the wonderful feeling caused by Mephisto tongue on his skin. Mephisto had already managed to unbutton the collar of Shirous shirt by the time the man's mind jumped back on track. It was still a bit comical with Shirou having the hiccups but neither minded for soon there were several bite along the younger exorcists collar bones and hair was in disarray as the two had their tongues down each other's throats. Within minutes both were almost completely in undress and panting, their excitement obvious between them as they are intertwined with each other against the wall._

"_So should we take this elsewhere?" Shirou could feel both their heartbeats between them, Mephistos voice vibrating against his ear. No more words needed to be said, a tug of hand towards one of the bedrooms. Limbs still tangled with each other the two men giggle as they stumble through the doorway and onto the bed. The kisses were now slower and deep. Shirou learned then that when Mephisto was turned on his tail grabs a hold of whatever it could get and rub against it. The demons tail was extremely sensitive to not just pain but pleasure. They discarded the rest of their clothes, eyes taking in bare flesh. Sweet kisses led to the demon running his tongue along all of Shirous scars from battle, nipping here and there as he got down to the humans hips. Bite laced kisses along Shirous thighs. He looked up at Shirou, asking for permission with is eyes, his tail flicked around behind him in excitement. Shirous face flushed pink and he nodded. He didn't think he could speak correctly at his point. With that answer he pushed forward and took the appendage into his mouth. Shirou gasped the wet heat that encompassed him something he had never experienced before and then Mephisto ran his tongue underneath and the blonde man shuddered, his hands tightening in the sheets. He groaned as Mephisto pulled off with a pop and Shirou looked at him in confusion before he was pulled into a kiss. The older being grabbed both of them and started to rub them together. Shirou managed to grasp at the demons tail and run his fingers along it. This resulted in a deep growl that turned into a moan from Mephisto that went straight on down._

"_M-mephisto… I'm c-close." He clawed at Mephistos back with one hand and continued to stroke his tail with the other. He could feel the heat coil in the pit of his stomach as he got closer. With the combination of the wonderful things Mephisto was doing inside his mouth and the pleasure of his hands Shirou felt himself go over the edge. Soon Mephisto followed, both of them covered in the proof of their deeds. With flushed faces and swollen lips they bust into a fit of giggles._

"_Well that was messy," he chuckled. They both soon fell into another fit of laughter about the state of things. It wasn't a situation that either of them would have ever thought they would be in. Shirou hadn't laughed that much in a long time and there in the afterglow he felt relaxed. He wiped a bit of cum off his neck with his fingers. _

"_We should really get cleaned up shouldn't we?" Mephisto gave him a smirk; he licked it off the exorcists' hands, causally humming as he did so. He traced along the trail of semen on Shirous body all the way down to the nest of blonde curls and a hardening member. _

"_Maybe we can fix this in the shower," the demon stated as he gave it a slow stroke._

"_Hnng, perhaps *hic* we can." His voice was shaky with the feeling of lips around him once again, quiet moans escaping his lips. Soon he had come again and this time it didn't get all over the place._

"_Were you saying something about a shower?" And for the first time Shirou didn't have a snarky comeback. They later spent the day washing each other in the shower and just laying beneath the covers of the bed together. _

_They continued their relationship for years but as life may have it all good things come to an end. They both became extremely busy, Shirou being promoted to Paladin at age 27 and Mephisto becoming principle of True Cross Academy. With the stress of their jobs things started to fall apart and they ended up breaking it off. With the way their lives went they never actually saw each other after that. They would hear news of each other and their achievements every once in a while and one would send a letter to the other. Eventually they developed back up a strong friendship but nothing more than the occasional visits that were so erratic neither knew what was currently going on in the others' life. _

_By chance they ended up being together on a mission to take down a traitor to the Vatican. Yuri Egin, a woman who had conceived children with Satan and when the church asked her to rid herself of the children she refused. After an attempted execution and its failure along with the chaos of the Blue Night and orders were to kill her and her children. That would be the night he would find Rin and Yukio nestled within blankets in Yuri's arms as she used her dying breath to tell them her children's names. On that night Shirou changed, simply because two children who had no choice in the matter were born under the evil of the Unholy King. They had done nothing wrong to deserve death and the thought of killing them was chilling. Both Shirou and Mephisto had a lot at risk within the Vatican, they couldn't anger the Church. So they struck a deal: Mephisto sealed away Rins' flames and powers in Shirous sword. Shirou gave an oath to watch over the twins and keep Rins' powers hidden. They put together false reports for the incident and had buried Yuri there up on the mountain where she stayed with her small demon friends. Shirou quit smoking that day and he really didn't know who he did it for; himself or Mephisto, or the fact he now had two babies to care for. _

_He became the priest of a small monastery that was open to help anyone that needed it. There was where he started his journey of raising two boys and as they grew up he found himself happy that he decided to keep them. Visits and letters became scarce between Shirou and Mephisto since caring for children seemed to take up more time than being an exorcist. Also with Mephisto being the principle of a school he was in charge of a lot more kids. _

_And many days have passed that have led up to the very moment they were at now._

"You know now thinking back on it you were a huge asshole to me Mephisto." The demon crossed his arms and gave a pout.

"I'm the asshole? Who was the one who would always pulled on my tail? That hurts you know. Honestly the nerve of you." Shirou couldn't help it. He laughed so hard he gave a snort and his glasses fell askew.

"There was more than pulling that I did with that tail." The statements suggestion wasn't missed by Mephisto and the tips of his ears turned pink.

"Oh has Mephy gone all soft of me?" Mephistos ears gave a wiggle and his eyes widened as Shirou used his old nickname.

"No you crazy old fool. You just shouldn't speak of such things in public for others sake." He turned away and pretended to be hurt just to see how Shirou would react though he really didn't know what to expect. He felt a weight on his shoulder pulling him around to face the priest again.

"Hey, I'll think about it." Shirou gently cupped Mephistos face and leaned in for a quick gentle kiss. The robe clad man walked to the kitchen to help finish dinner and left Mephisto in the sitting room to mull over what just happened.

* * *

><p>* koori otoko means icemanicemen as far as I could find so if this is wrong please correct me!

** I used an online converter to find the price of yen. I live in America and have never had to convert money before so I hope this is right

*** Daisuke means Great Helper and since Shirou asked for someone that will help him in his time of need when summoning for the first time I thought this name would be appropriate

A/N – There will be parts that I feel like are going to be rough (aka the whole blow job thing. I have never written a scene like that before even if I have written smut) I hope that it wasn't to terrible thing to read through.

Also when it comes to the festival near the beginning of the fic it's made up. I could not find a legit winter festival in the right location or date that would fit the story so I went with something generic such as snowmen so I would not misinform anyone about an actual festival.


	6. Chapter 6

Well this sucks. I didn't meet the deadline I had set for this. Adult life got in the way and it makes me angry. It's 2:36am right now and I have work at like 6am but oh well. This isn't as long as I had wanted this chapter. There is most likely a chance that when I have more time I will come back and add on more along with more editing. I'm just so fucking tired right now but yeah. There's one more chapter coming and yeah. I had hoped to have both the last two chapters out by christmas but it looks like the final chapter will be out before new years hopefully if adult obligations don't get in the way. I apologize if this entire chapter is shitty my brain sorta died.

* * *

><p>One could say that things were a bit different after that night. Normal shenanigans happened about the house as usual except now small pranks were being pulled over the next week slowly escalating to a prank war. Unsuspecting residents getting up in the middle of the night to use the rest room to have buckets of water dropped on their heads instead of the intended victim, doorknobs to each others bedroom doors would go missing. The tension that had built up since Mephistos arrival disintegrated and was replaced with Christmas cheer from all around. Hidden by shadows there would be chaste kisses on faces which Shirou would scold Mephisto for the PDA when it first started. He didn't want to have to explain the situation quite yet to the other residents. He was sure that the twins wouldn't mind too much since they were still young and not really exposed to the idea of homosexuality in a negative or positive light, but they liked Mephisto enough it probably wouldn't bother them. Though it's not like his sons had seen him with a women either, unlike when he was in his teenage years and was known for flirting with all the girls in school.<p>

The issue being Shirou didn't know if he was ready to approach the feelings he had for Mephisto. It had been a long while since they've been together in such a way, if together is the word for what they were at the moment. He wasn't really sure, but it was something that was always at the back of his mind.

A week had gone by since Shirou and Mephisto had sat down to their talk, but there was still yet another week until Christmas Eve. Preparations and plans had to be made for the holiday and for the boy's birthday. It had gotten to the point where the twins would tell anyone who would listen that their birthday was coming up. It was on the eighteenth when things really got interesting.

"I can so bake a cake!" The headmaster let out an exasperated huff as Shirous eyebrow rose in a questioning look.

"You? Bake? The closest thing I've ever seen you do is make instant ramen and that's a far reach from baking a cake." The discussion had been an on and off one throughout the week after Shirou had asked Rin and Yukio what kind of cake they would want for their birthday. Mephisto instantly had jumped to the idea that he wanted to make it as his gift to the twins but Shirou immediately poked fun at the idea of the demon baking. Though it was friendly banter that usually ended in a prank or two the conclusion to the discussion wasn't arrived until that night.

"Please." Mephisto held out the word for emphasis like a child as he squatted down slightly to be eye to eye with Shirou. Just the look Mephisto had on his face, and Shirou knew damn well he was only pulling that face to get what he wanted.

"Alright, alright enough of the pup faces. You can _help _make the cake but you're not making it by yourself." The purple haired man flashed a huge grin and it reminded him of the time he figured out that it was Mephisto who had been the small white dog with the pink bow and he hadn't spoken to him for a week. There had been a sputtered explanation from the at the time exorcist of how he thought he had known which was followed by Shirous silent treatment.

"You don't have to look so grumpy you know," he chuckled. The low sound pulled Shirou out of the past.

"I'm not grumpy and must you act like such a child? You're older than me but you don't act it." Shirou was still one for fun and games like when he was younger but since adopting Rin and Yukio he had matured some for the sake of at least_ trying _to be a good parent. He thought he done a decent job so far. The demon king stuck his tongue out in a childlike manner, proving Shirou right.

"If acting like a child gets me what I want, then it is what I shall do." Typical behaviour of Mephisto, though it was a reminder that even if the exorcist hadn't done anything against the Vatican or any of the other exorcists that he was still a full fledge demon, someone who could turn on them and know all their weaknesses. Shirou tried not to think about this often because he basically grew up alongside Mephisto in his training, and it was a hard fact to swallow that there was even a small chance of that happening.

"Oi, you listening to me?" The principle must have been rambling on about _something _he thought was important by the look on his face.

"You dare ignore me as I poke fun at your flaws ol-" Shirou did the one thing he knew would quiet the other down; a simple kiss. If anyone who had known them in the past had walked in would probably fall into a fit of laughter. Shirou was still too short compared to Mephisto even with those stupid boots of his off, anyone else would probably freak out and shout; but at that moment Shirou was willing to take that risk. Something at that moment seemed different than all the other kisses they had shared over the last week. There was a hunger behind it, but it was gentle at the same time, every crevice and curve inside their mouths being memorized with their tongues. Hands gripped tightly at each other's clothes, nails dug into skin. Shirou let out a deep growl.

"You need to cut your damn nails." This made Mephisto snort in amusement. Shirou was short of breath, but as usual there he was, his face a mask that could hide the world's secrets.

"How about you make me." It was a playful challenge and one that the priest wasn't going to lose. He slid his hand down until he felt the solid part of his tail grabbed and pulled. The reaction he got was comedic. A sound caught between a groan and a yelp left Mephistos lips, the sensitive tail now unravelling itself from under the shirt and put itself into the comfort of its owner's hands.

"That wasn't fair!" A crack in the mask, whether if it was real or made up by Mephisto to make himself vulnerable he didn't know. Green eyes wide with feigned hurt and a pout he looked like a full grown child. A few moments later he found out it was all a ruse as the demon threw a swift kick to Shirous shin causing them to fall to the ground as they fought to gain control in their play fight. There was a creak and the two adults looked over to see Rin in the doorway, his eyes wide with confusion and mouth open. Mephisto was on top of Shirou, his legs on either side of the human's waist. One of the bespeckled man's wrists was in the loose grip of the other and both had dishevelled hair. It was Rin's older half-brother that broke the silence.

"What is it Rin?" His ability to act as if the situation they were in was completely normal was astounding. It was then that a bit of panic set in because Mephisto sitting on top of him.

"Are you guys playin'?" The little one asked. Of course he wouldn't really understand what was going on, he was but a child.

"Daddy and Mephy just got into a small fight, that's all." Well, it wasn't _too _far from the truth. He tried to avoid lying to his sons as much as possible since he already felt somewhat guilty about not telling them the truth about their past.

"Oh!" Rin walked over to them patted both their faces with a bit of force.

"You shouldn't fight, be nice! It's almost Christmas!" The grin that split his face could make anyone laugh; the two adults exchanged smiles with Rin.

"We'll be good now, I promise." Mephisto poked his nose and gave him grin.

"Now run along! Your father and I must finish our important conversation." Rin trotted off again out of the kitchen area to what sounded like to his room by the echo of his footsteps.

"We're in the middle of the kitchen floor so nothing." The glare Shirou gave would have any normal person back off; but Mephisto wasn't normal, he was immune to the look, found it amusing if anything.

"What are you afraid of old man?" There was the tone of challenge again, one that was met with a snort and they were soon wrestling for control. Though Shirou was a strong exorcist Mephisto still wasn't human and had the advantage of supernatural strength.

"You're a bastard, ya know that?"

"A bastard that you love." He stood up and wiped all the dirt off his clothes before he helped the clergyman up off the floor.

"Also I'm still want to do part of the cake, I can have Ukobach help me us also. But wouldn't it be fun? A family activity eh?" He left before Shirou got the chance to respond. Another few days passed with more mischief between the two, soon the children even joined in. Snow would be found in both their shoes, or maybe scarves would be found tied to things in random places through the house. There had been a morning where Rin made the scrambled eggs were blue, and they had found that Yukio had tied everyone's shoelaces together.

It was soon the 23rd and they celebrated the twin's birthday on Christmas since it was so close. With it only being a couple days till the holiday it was time to start doing prep work. The ingredients had to be bought in town and were usually bought on the same day so the whole household would go down to the shops. By then the shop owners knew when to expect the clergymen and to have things somewhat ready they all stared in surprise when Mephisto walked through the door with them, his white and pink clothing a giant contrast to black robes, and with Rin and Yukio trailing along with him too. When the couple brave souls gathered to ask of the tall purple haired man they townsfolk were informed that he was just an old friend of the church who was visiting. Mephisto easily towered over everyone at six foot four. The candy shop thought it was odd when Mephisto ordered large bags of candy which they scattered about in a hurry. He had no problem spending the money if the twins asked for something, which was extremely unlike him because Shirou could remember times where he would bug Mephisto for hours to buy something he wouldn't budge.

"You're being generous today for someone who gets stingy about even sharing instant ramen." They stood close to each other in the corner as Mephisto continued to pick out sweets to be weighed and bagged.

"Tch isn't that what your silly human holiday is about? Giving to others? Anyways, all you ever wanted me to buy was booze. Plus it is the little ones birthday soon. Shouldn't they be allowed to be spoiled?" He gave him a wink and a small smack of his butt and went to finish up his order. Shirou let out a hiss.

"You can't do something like that in public, it was uncalled for!" he grumbled as he followed him through the crowd to the counter.

"I see no problem with it; it is you who are making a big deal out of it and if you're not careful you might cause a scene yourself."

"Not a big deal for you who doesn't even live here. You can just go poof and your appearance here would be forgotten within a month. Don't cause any trouble for the sake of entertainment Mephisto." The sweets order was finished, bagged, and balanced in the demons arms. Once outside with a snap of his fingers he made it disappear to where Shirou assumed was back at the church. It had started to snow while they had been in the shop, Rin and Yukio ran about in the snow drifts.

"Come along now we must get back home if we hope to get the preparations done for tomorrow." The twins rushed back to the house, their giggles could be heard from all the way down the street. Once they arrived back everything was unpacked and the ingredients were needed for the cake. The ones that could be set out were left on the counter for tomorrow morning and the rest were put away. The little ones ran amok and the atmosphere cheerful, soon the sun set beneath the horizon and Shirou gathered them up and herded them to bed. They were hyper beyond belief {"Damn it Mephisto for buying them sweets"} and once they were under their covers he went back downstairs to make sure things were tidied up for the night. He had thought everyone else had gone to bed already until a pair of arms wrapped themselves around his waist while he was putting away dishes.

"You should relax." Mephisto leaned his weight against him, his breath warm against his cool skin. Shirou relaxed against him and let out a sigh.

"Having children doesn't allow you to relax often and when they don't need tending to then there's other things to do." A chuckle vibrated through him.

"Do you ever regret it? Taking them in?" he asked in a sombre tone, his hands made themselves busy by pressing out the wrinkles in his robe as he waited for an answer.

"There were times where it was difficult and I'm sure there will be moments in the future where things won't be easy but I don't regret it, not at all." Rin and Yukio brought a light into Shirous life, one that only taking care of children could bring.

"Hmm…" it was a small noise of confirmation that he had heard the priest and after that they stood there in silence as Shirou finished up washing dishes.

"Come, you really do need to loosen up that old body of yours Mr. Father. I really don't think it's healthy for you to be this stressed." He gave a gentle shove towards the living room; the bright moon showing through the window, snowflakes still came down. Shirou dropped down onto the couch and Mephisto plopped down into his lap, his long legs stretched over to the end of the couch.

"Relax," he spoke the words against the exposed flesh of the man below him, his hands slowly ran themselves up and down in a soothing manner along his spine. Cinnamon eyes met green and it felt like those years ago when they were together and things were completely different. Shirou leaned forward and pressed his lips against his other. They were cool to the touch and tasted of the sweets he had eaten this morning. Soon fingers were pulling at buttons and Shirous legs had found their way around Mephistos waist. Clothes were half way off and the demon had started to nip at the bared skin of Shirous neck and shoulders, delighted at the noises that were escaping the holy man's throat.

"M-mephisto we should p-probably go upstairs." His breath hitched as the devil being swiped his tongue from under his jaw to his ear. The looked he gave the priest went straight to his groin.

"If it is something you wish for." Strong hands grasped his torso and they were off the couch and moving to the upper floors of the house. Shirous legs were still wrapped around Mephisto and the whole way up his fiendish lover dragged his nails down his back, groans of pleasure left the human's mouth like music. They pushed their way through the door; Mephistos tail locked the door behind them. Shirous looked up at his long-time lover and he couldn't think of a single reason this was a bad idea.


	7. Hella sorry fanfic author here

Guess who is alive and everyone is probably mad at? Me of course. I feel like such a shitty person cause I haven't been able to do much of anything between working, school, and what little social life I have. For a really like time I've been in a slump about my writing so I didn't do anything. But I am currently going back through all previous chapters and editing them so there will be change as well as updates.

But for the time being I am taking down all currently chapters until I am finish revising them. Hope you guys can understand!

Sincerely a very sorry fanfic writer


	8. This is a PSA

Well look at this I have some free time. I managed to finish all my tests and paper in American government so I'm working on editing chapter 2 before I go to work!

I have decided it would help a lot if I edit previous chapters before I move on so I can reread all the shit I already wrote since it has been a while. Also I want to fix some of the culture blunders throughout the story. As an American I am sure I have fucked up like a lot so if you happen to catch something that's wrong don't be afraid to let me know so I can do better research on it!

Not sure if anyone out there is still here from the beginning but this fic was started in 2011 (and damn that makes me feel old cause I graduated high school that year) I am aware that I am hella slow at getting things done and for that I apologize. I just want to do my best and I tend to second guess myself when it comes to writing, especially when it comes to fanfiction because they aren't my characters and I don't wanna fuck up and make them ooc.

Here is to hoping to hear from you guys as I jump back into the fanfiction world as a distraction from how much I really hate adult life


End file.
